Chapter 30: Day 8 ①

An hour had already passed since the date changed. I was sitting alone in the dojo, performing seiza (traditional Japanese kneeling), without turning on the lights.

My attire, by the way, was casual clothing. I hadn't tied my hair up after getting out of the bath, so it was loose.

After returning home, Lia didn't speak to me more than necessary, and I didn't speak to her either. Rin tilted her head at the sight of us, but the night arrived without incident, and everyone headed to their rooms.

Lia had whispered to me in passing, "Dojo, two a.m." I arrived at the dojo the moment the date changed and have been sitting in seiza ever since. Since she specified this late hour, Lia would probably come alone. That's why I hadn't turned on the lights.

My heart was strangely calm. I wasn't agitated, nor was I anxious. Although I didn't want to reveal my secret and still feel that way, there is anxiety, but somehow, I feel at ease. When Lia first told me, I was certainly distraught, but the distracting thoughts disappeared as I focused my mind in the dojo.

Perhaps I've just resigned myself to whatever happens.

The bigger problem is whether Lia will believe my story. I have absolutely no confidence that I can properly explain my current state to someone else.

Besides, if I were in Lia's position, I doubt I could believe such a story. So, I'm thinking of just telling her exactly what I experienced.

"…Haa."

Now that I think about it, I've been so focused on dealing with the immediate situation that I haven't even considered why this happened.

I'm frankly astonished at myself. Sighing over my own absent-mindedness—it's depressing, or maybe just draining.

I closed my eyes and immersed myself, digging through my memories.

The fight with Gilgamesh—I don't remember it clearly, perhaps because I was desperate.

Saber fell, I stood in front of her to protect her, and I, too, fell. My body was severed, and with my Prana depleted, I...

I what?

...Right, I tried to Project the 'Sheath' (Avalon).

I transformed Emiya Shirou into something else and 'returned' it to Saber. Then, as the 'Sheath', I was enveloped by Saber's body, and my memory cuts off there.

The 'Sheath'? 'Returned'?

Wait a minute. What is the 'Sheath'? And why did the expression 'returned' come up?

That was something already within me. Even though I Projected it, why would giving it to Saber be considered 'returning' it?

And why was such a thing even inside me in the first place?

Unconsciously, the structure, framework, and even the philosophy of the 'Sheath' are brought to mind. Even after assembling it in my head, I could feel the presence of that 'Sheath' from within my body.

H-huh? And I still possess it?

...But I gave it to Saber, so is it natural that I possess it? Am I the 'Sheath'? And Saber, who is me, possesses the 'Sheath'?

No, I don't understand.

Faced with the questions, I instinctively held my head, shaking it so hard it almost rattled. My hair swung with the movement, hitting my cheek.

Normally, I wouldn't think anything of it since it's Saber's hair, but right now, it's annoying. Thinking circuit started drifting to trivial matters, like whether I should have tied it up, so I emptied my mind for a moment. I also felt a slight sense of danger, realizing I had somehow mastered Saber's hairstyle.

—For now, let's think about the 'Sheath' and me later. First, what happened after I was enveloped by Saber?

Right. The next thing I knew, my body was already closing in on Gilgamesh. After canceling his Noble Phantasms with Excalibur (Sword of Promised Victory), I Projected Caliburn and cut down Gilgamesh, who was wide open in shock. After that, I probably vanished from the spot due to Prana depletion.

Indeed, I only have memories up to this point. From here, it jumps to the scene where Rin summoned me.

Well, if I want to be detailed, a faint image of a red hill briefly appeared in my mind before I was summoned, but I must have seen a hallucination just before death.

—First, what happened to Saber?

This is what I should have realized first and foremost. What I should have cared about most.

Where did the consciousness of Saber, the original owner of this body, go? Is she in a dormant state? Or is she no longer in this body?

I won't find a solution if I don't even know how I took over Saber's body.

...I can't do anything. It's frustrating. Ultimately, I am here at the expense of Saber.

But even so, Saber shouldn't be dead. Arthur was summoned right before her death in the past to participate in the Holy Grail War.

If she has to retire from the Holy Grail War for some reason, her body is sent back to the past, to Arthur right before her death.

She is summoned again to obtain the Holy Grail; if she fails, she returns and is summoned again for the next Holy Grail War.

Yes, she repeats this cycle. Endlessly, until she obtains the Holy Grail—.

If this body is Saber, the contract with the world becomes strange.

The color of my eyes, the color of my clothes. Also, the Magic Circuits that Emiya Shirou possessed are present in this body, along with my consciousness.

The appearance is Saber, but the content is completely different. I, who is not the same person, probably cannot 'return' to Arthur right before her death.

If it were any other Servant, they would simply vanish on the spot, just as in my case when I took over, so there would be no problem.

But Arthur is different. Arthur continues to exist unless her contract with the world—'to obtain the Holy Grail while alive'—is fulfilled. She can't vanish where she's summoned, but she can't return either.

Hypothetically, if the body of 'Alto' is Saber, would Arthur become 'Alto' right before death and remain unable to die? As long as 'Alto' is me, won't Arthur be unable to grant her wish or be released from the contract with the world?

What I understood for now is that Emiya Shirou is completely dead, and at least Saber's body is alive. As for Saber's consciousness, I can only pray that it is safe along with the body.

I want to return this body to Saber somehow. No, I must return it. At the very least, things shouldn't remain like this.

It just occurred to me, if things continue this way, will Lia and Shirou eventually become 'Alto'?

There is only one Arthur, so naturally, that would mean 'Alto' is the future version of Lia.

But, 'Alto' was not in the Holy Grail War in my time.

I had completely thought I was summoned to the past, but perhaps I was mistaken. Given that things I haven't experienced are happening, this might not be the past but the commonly mentioned 'Parallel World'.

It's probably that. Although knowing that doesn't change anything.

Oops, my thoughts drifted again.

Next, why did I take over Saber's body? It seems the Projected 'Sheath' is closely related to my current state. I have no solid proof. The fact is, I can't say anything definitive until I clarify that 'Sheath'.

...So, how should I explain the current 'Alto' to Lia?

I am not Emiya Shirou, nor am I Saber. I thought about this before. Back then, it was enough to just say I was Archer. Since Lia wasn't around, I could avoid being fixated on my True Name, or rather, my identity.

That won't suffice now. The real Arthur has been summoned, and she suspects me, the fake, of not being the original.

As long as I believe myself to be Emiya Shirou, my consciousness is Emiya Shirou, but revealing my identity to others will lead to total incomprehension.

—Ah, I guess I have no choice but to explain everything I experienced from the beginning.

It seems to come down to that eventually. After that, I suppose I have to let Lia judge who I am.

The sound of the sliding door opening reached me just as I finished my thoughts.

It wasn't a loud sound, but it seemed exceptionally loud to me, who had been in the silent dojo, giving me a shock like electricity running through my body.

I slowly looked over to see Lia standing and looking down at me. Like me, she was wearing casual clothes, but her hair was neatly tied up.

Though her eyes flickered with suspicion, there was no hostility or murderous intent. ...It seems she will listen.

After a moment of silence, Lia sat down in seiza opposite me.

"Now, will you tell me?"

Lia spoke after a breath.

Damn, my heart is pounding like it's jumping out. My whole body seems to be throbbing. What was with the calmness earlier?

"What should I tell you?"

"Everything."

Everything, huh? Even though there's so much I don't understand myself.

"—Alright, I understand."

I calmed my mind. Since Lia seemed willing to wait until I started speaking, I slowly smoothed out my emotional turmoil. ...Good. I raised my face and looked into Lia's eyes.

"To begin with... I am not Artoria. In my former life, I was a Magus who participated in the Holy Grail War."

"Wha! What do you mean...!"

Lia's eyes suddenly widened. Her gaze was trembling. I held up my hand to stop her as she looked ready to stand up and corner me.

"I'm sorry. I know what you want to say, but please listen until the end. After you hear everything, I will leave it entirely up to Lia whether to believe it or not."

"...Understood."

After confirming Lia's small nod, I continued to speak.

"Even as a Magus, I was so far inferior to a typical one that it was embarrassing, and I didn't even know about the Holy Grail War. I was the last one to summon a Servant, and the Servant I summoned was Saber."

Lia looked disbelieving, but she was listening for now. She probably never expected to be told something like this all of a sudden.

"Saber was probably the strongest among the other summoned Servants. That is, if she hadn't been at a disadvantage due to my inability to supply Prana as her Master."

"A Servant who is Saber, yet unable to supply Prana? That sounds exactly like..."

Ignoring Lia's mutter, I pushed forward.

"The one who taught me various things about the Holy Grail War, since I didn't know, was Archer's Master. Soon after, we were suddenly attacked by Berserker, and being no match for the overwhelmingly strong Berserker, we formed a temporary alliance with Archer's Master to defeat him."

"Are you mocking me?"

Lia probably understood who that Master was from the context of the story, and she glared at me with anger.

I thought starting with 'My identity is Emiya Shirou' would be bad, so I took the long way around, but this is the result. I know it's a story that makes it seem like I'm fooling around. But all I can do is talk.

"Please, listen until the end."

I put as much sincerity as possible into my gaze and looked at Lia.

"—Understood. I don't know what your goal is, but continue."

Saying that, she looked at me as if watching a cheap play, prompting me to continue. Ignoring Lia's demeanor, I opened my mouth.

"The first one we defeated was Rider. A Bounded Field was set up at the school, but we managed to repel her then, and later, Saber used her Noble Phantasm on a rooftop to defeat her. After that, I was abducted by Berserker's Master, and Saber, along with Archer, rescued me. However, we were attacked by Berserker, and Archer sacrificed himself to allow us to escape. Still, Archer, who was tasked with buying time, 'killed' Berserker several times."

Yes, come to think of it, if he hadn't been there, we would have retired right there.

Lia gasped and watched me. She frowned slightly, with an expression that seemed ready to ask what I was talking about at any moment.

"By combining our strength—mine, Saber's, and Archer's Master... Tohsaka's—we somehow managed to defeat Berserker. Next came Caster. According to the information at that time, Assassin had already been eliminated."

"..."

"Caster's Noble Phantasm was troublesome, and on top of that, I took a blow meant for Saber and was injured, putting us at an overwhelming disadvantage. Saber was even trying to accept Caster's demands to protect me. And then—"

I paused for a moment. I was summarizing heavily, but how much was getting across?

"Who appeared there was... Gilgamesh."

"—Gilgamesh? I believe that was the name of an ancient Uruk king, but what Servant class was he?"

Huh? Ah, right. His true identity wasn't known at that point.

"Saber said he was a Servant summoned in the previous Holy Grail War. His class was apparently Archer."

"What! That's absurd!! Why is he, a Servant from the previous Holy Grail War, still incarnated!?"

Lia pressed me as if it were somehow my fault. Even though I had absolutely nothing to do with that problem, not even an inch, why am I being blamed like this?

...I guess I must explain this part. She doesn't seem to be in a state to listen otherwise.

"Ah, he said that if a Servant bathes in the contents of the Holy Grail, they can exist in the world without needing a Master."

"No way..."

"To continue... Right, Caster was suddenly impaled by Gilgamesh and vanished. Gilgamesh retreated then, but a few days later, he appeared before us to steal Saber. Saber was defeated by Gilgamesh, and I stood in his way, but I couldn't lay a hand on him... I eventually got killed too."

"Then... why are you here?"

Lia seemed to have become genuinely engrossed without realizing it. She asked me with a serious face.

"Ah, I don't understand this part myself, but there's a 'Sheath' inside my body."

"...A 'Sheath'?"

"Ah, yes. I certainly think it was a 'Sheath'. I vaguely thought, 'If I give this to Saber, she might be saved.' But I had no Prana, so I somehow created it by sacrificing my body."

"I gave that to Saber—and the next thing I knew, I had become Saber. I managed to defeat Gilgamesh by taking advantage of his moment of distraction, but I, too, vanished due to Prana depletion."

"And then you woke up, summoned as a Servant?"

"Yes."

Lia fell silent after that. Occasionally, I heard mutters like "No, impossible," but I decided to wait for Lia to organize her thoughts. It would be strange if she weren't confused after being told this all at once.

A few minutes later, Lia looked up, so I braced myself to respond.

"I understand your story. It would be quite a feat if it were fiction."

"No, it's not fiction."

"However, there are too many contradictions in your story. Let us assume I used my Noble Phantasm to defeat Rider. I hesitate to say this, but with my supply cut off now, using a Noble Phantasm would certainly drain my Prana. Yet, you claim victory against Berserker afterward. Without Alto and with my Prana supply cut off, even with Rin and Shirou's assistance, victory would be difficult."

Without Alto...? Ah, right. I need to talk about Archer too.

"Since there seems to be a misunderstanding, I'll tell you: the Archer from when I was Emiya Shirou was not Alto."

"He was not you?"

"No. He was a white-haired man in a red coat. ...I suspect I was summoned from a Parallel World."

"A Parallel World... I have heard that certain renowned Magi have such an understanding of phenomena. If so, is the story I just heard not the future, but merely one possibility..."

Seeing her nod with a thoughtful 'Hmm,' she seems somewhat convinced for the moment.

However, she seems to only be pointing out inconsistencies in the story, not questioning what would have happened if she had believed the tale.

Well, if I hadn't been here, the Holy Grail War here might have proceeded exactly as I described, but it seems I've already significantly changed the flow. Even I, the person who caused the change, have no idea what will happen now.

"About the Prana shortage... uh..."

Damn it, it's hard to say.

"What is it? Why don't you just say it clearly?"

Clearly...

"...We connected the Magical Paths through the exchange of bodily fluids."

I wish I hadn't had to say it. Ah, my face is definitely red.

Silence flowed between us.

"W-well, if Prana is insufficient, that necessity might arise. But wouldn't that still be insufficient strength to defeat that Berserker?"

Lia, having somehow recovered, cleared her throat and posed her question to me. If I look closely, her cheeks are faintly tinged with pink.

"Even so, we somehow managed to win with the three of us. The fact that Archer had 'killed' him several times beforehand was a huge factor."

"...Three people, right? Are you saying Rin and Shirou fought against Berserker too?"

I understand her point. Certainly, a mediocre Magus would likely be crushed before they could inflict a single scratch on Berserker.

"Tohsaka used all the jewels she had to strike Berserker with a surprise attack. It seems even Berserker felt that blow."

"...Indeed, for a Magus of Rin's caliber, that might be possible. However, I don't believe Shirou possesses factors capable of defeating Berserker."

"The Magecraft Emiya Shirou can use isn't just Reinforcement. I didn't know it either, but there was another Magecraft, one that suits me better than Reinforcement."

Considering the success rate, the difference is vast. It's no exaggeration to say it suits me better.

"Another one?"

"Yes. It's called Projection Magecraft. I'll demonstrate it now, so wait a moment."

Saying that, I stood up and called a certain sword into my mind.

This is absolutely necessary to make Lia believe me. I might be questioned by Rin later due to the Prana consumption, but I'll just have to think of a good excuse.

I think the Prana supplied through the link will be sufficient, so there shouldn't be a problem, but... honestly, I want to be spared the daily scolding.

"—Projection, Trace On."

The self-suggestion to transform myself. Although the meaning is different, the sound is the same as Reinforcement. Lia, sitting before me, had also heard Shirou's chant during the Reinforcement of the lamp.

I have no intention of presenting her with a hurried, clumsy imitation. I carefully followed the procedure, meticulously hypothesized every detail, followed the creator's intent, and imitated it. I simply dreamed of the genuine article and reflected it within myself.

...Feeling a definite response, I poured Prana into it at once.

"—Projection, Trace Off."

I felt a solid weight in my right hand and opened my eyes. In my hand was the beautiful sword I had seen once before.

"Thanks to this, we somehow managed to defeat him. Conversely, without this, I think we all would have been killed by Berserker right there."

Saying that, I held it out toward Lia. Lia stood up and cautiously reached out, receiving it with both hands.

Illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window, the sword was revealed.

"Impossible! This is the—the one that was supposed to be lost—"

"...Caliburn: Golden Sword of the Victorious (Caliburn). This is the only proof I can show you."

Standing up, Lia gripped Caliburn with both hands, swinging the sword as if checking its quality. It seems I succeeded in Projecting it exactly as it existed in Lia's memory, fitting perfectly in her hands as if it were one with her.

"...Then, Shirou can also create this?"

"If Shirou has seen this, he probably can. I was able to Project this because I saw Saber's past in a dream."

Lia stared motionless at Caliburn, apparently recalling something.

"But Projection of a Noble Phantasm is out of the ordinary, so it feels like... well, like the circuits in my head are being scorched. In severe cases, it even caused temporary paralysis. I think Shirou could do it too, but I suggest you discourage him from using Projection."

"I seem to be fine after taking on this body, though," I continued, concluding my explanation. Lia was still staring intently at Caliburn while I was talking.

"I understand."

"Eh?"

Lia said that and carefully handed Caliburn back to me. I took it with both hands, feeling perplexed.

"It is difficult to believe at face value, but I will accept it for now."

"But, are you sure?"

"Honestly, the story alone is not believable. However, when this sword is created right before my eyes, I cannot simply dismiss it with a laugh."

I never expected it to be settled so amicably. At worst, I thought she might attack me.

"Furthermore... I am a king, even if only of one country. I believe I possess some ability to judge character. I have known for a while that you are not a bad person."

Saying that, Lia smiled at me. Somehow, Lia looked blurry.

She is skeptical of the story, but she believes in me as a person. Why does Lia say things that make me so happy?

The smile on Lia's face turned into a worried expression.

"Alto? What is wrong?"

"Eh?"

"Tears..."

Huh? Tears are coming out on their own...

"W-why..."

No matter how much I wiped, the tears kept flowing. I'm not even sad, so why?

I felt embarrassed and looked down. My palm couldn't stop them, so I wiped them with my sleeve, but they still wouldn't stop.

"I'm sorry. The tears just came."

"...Was it difficult to carry this burden alone?"

"Difficult, no, it wasn't..."

I had certainly been tense recently. It's true that I've been careful not to be exposed since being summoned here.

The feeling of a weight being lifted from my shoulders after finishing the whole story was probably not my imagination. But I didn't think I felt that anxious, yet...

Perhaps my emotions have become unstable since taking on this body. Before, I could have kept this all hidden within myself.

"...Are you alright?"

Lia leaned in, looking at my face with concern.

How pathetic. I can't keep crying forever. There are still things I must do.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine now. And... thank you."

I have to keep going until everything is over.

I wiped my face with my sleeve one last time and smiled firmly at Lia.