Pov. Niko
"Had a good sleep, Master?" It's the first thing I hear as I wake up. My vision is still a bit blurred, but soon I could see the source of the voice.
I instinctively reached for her head and scratched her fox ear softly. "Mikon!?" She jumps a bit, making me finally wake up properly.
"Sorry, Caster. It's just that you were so cute, I instinctively wanted to pat you." I joke.
"Oh my, you're so forward, Master." She hides her face, as if she were blushing.
I laughed a bit before turning serious. "What's the situation? How long did I sleep?"
She swiftly noticed the change in tone and acted accordingly. "After the Dead Apostle fled and you fell, I decided to focus on our defenses. I enhanced the Bonded field and used the foundation that you left to make better protections." She pauses a little. "I hope I didn't overstep." She finishes.
"No, you did perfectly, Caster. I am an amateur, so having someone with your abilities at my side is great." I tell the truth.
"I did notice your foundation is all over the place. You contact the gods through pale imitations and well-placed prayer rather than any actual religious act. It is just so inefficient! The fact that you were able to even use any spell is a miracle! I am not even going to touch upon the disastrous waste of magical energy."
And she kept going. Criticising my magecraft and how terrible it was, if I were a child, I would surely cry at such comments. And while that didn't happen, I did blush a bit in embarrassment.
She then looks at me, and a panicked look takes over her face.
"OH, not to say everything was terrible! Your application of Runes alongside the Ofudas was actually really clever! You were able to visualise the gods in such a way that their pale projections actually had power! It's clear you are a beginner at these crafts!" She then stops for a few seconds. "You're practicing for how long? You're kinda young, so less than ten but maybe longer than five years?"
"Uhhh... less than 6 months? I kinda stumbled into Magecraft and have been relying on luck all this time." Honestly, I have no idea how to explain my situation. 'My Soul crossed the Root and somehow entered this Body, and in my original worldline, I read a few books that depicted Magecraft and was able to figure out I am inside a world similar to the one I read?
Actually, she would probably believe that. As Amaterasu, she surely saw weirder things. But I am going to keep that a secret for now. I have no idea if she is in her "Good Wife" mode, or in her... "Nasty Bitch" mode. Better not risk yet. I have taken too many risks during my little stay here. I should have left the city the moment I left the hospital, but I didn't. While I didn't expect to be hunted down by an apostle, that is no excuse. I know this world well; the simple mistakes are the ones that kill you.
I will use every card I have from now on, I need to if I wish to survive.
"Less than six months..." She seems to be in deep thought.
'If that's true... it may actually be possible to teach him properly in the little time we have, enough that he could fight against stronger Masters long enough for me to arrive.'
She then takes a look at him.
'He didn't feel offended at my jabs at his Magecraft, so he probably wouldn't be averse to me teaching him. Should I be the one to propose the idea? Or give suggestions in a way that makes him think it's his idea?'
While she kept scheming in her mind, I decided not waste time.
"Caster, would it be possible for you to teach me Magecraft?" She stops.
'Wait, that easy?! Did he read my thoughts?!' She shakes her head.
"Sure can! Let this marvelous fox teach you everything you need, Master!" She happily says.
"But before beginning that, I need to know the situation of the Holy Grail War. Usually, the Grail should give the servants information, so what can you tell me, Caster?" Time to see what kind of mess I'm into.
She then gets serious and nods.
"First, this ritual is not called the Holy Grail War but rather, the Waxing Moon Ritual. Even if the award is the same."
THE FUCKING WHAT?!
"The Waxing Moon Ritual? As in the one that happened in the sixteenth century?" I ask for clarification.
"I think so? The Grail doesn't provide as much information as I would like. Honestly, the fact that you even knew about one having happened before this one is more than I know."
"I see...that's troubling. The Waxing Moon, while similar to the Grail War, has its clear differences. Such as the presence of Rogue Servants." Things are clearly more complicated than I thought.
"What about the other?" I decide to ask. "You said you don't know much about the Waxing Moon, but perhaps you know more about the Grail War."
She nods. "Yes, that's correct. My knowledge about the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki is strangely complete."
"How many have happened?" Time to finally understand what timeline I am on.
"Technically speaking, three. But perhaps four would be the more acceptable answer."
"Elaborate."
"During the third war, the Greater Grail seems to have been stolen by an outside party, which cancelled the ritual." She begins.
So Apocrypha? But then again...
"What about that 'fourth war'?"
"The grail barely gives me any information about that. But it seems that the original families attempted to do a fourth war despite the absence of the Greater Grail. It seems to have been a failure, but ironically, there was a proper winner unlike the other wars. But that's the limit of the information the Grail is providing me." She finishes.
So the Apocrypha timeline happened as intended, but the existence of a fourth war suggests that the three founding families weren't destroyed like in that timeline. The Matou and Einzbern must have used a lot of their resources to create a functional grail, but it ended up being for nothing. I will investigate later; the current ritual takes precedence.
"I see. That's enough for now, Caster. Now I believe we need to plan our course of action." I declare.
"Understood. I have a few thoughts on what we can do, but I would like to see your own ideas first." She muses.
"First, I need to see your parameters to have an idea of what to do."
I then use my 'Master Perspective' on her. It allows me to see the information regarding a servant in a way that I can easily understand. It actually varies from master to master. Shirou Emiya saw it as a Character Sheet, and I believe Rin Tohsaka saw it as Jewels or something? Makes sense considering who she is.
Mine is rather similar to that of Shirou, with some minor differences. Probably because I was someone who played the Extra games.
And wow. This is better than I could have hoped.
Strength: C
Endurance: D
Agility: A
Mana: A+
Luck: C+
NP: A
She usually would have extremely low physical stats but good NP and Mana. But all of her parameters are higher than usual. And NP being at A... OH! Of course.
"Caster, you're a Japanese servant, aren't you?" I focus on her face.
I obviously know that she is. But she doesn't know that yet. And Tamamo has the whole 'Charm the Master before telling her identity.'
I get why, but honestly, it wouldn't matter that much considering that I am her Master. But it's better that way, once she believes that it's time to tell me, I will just say that I already knew. That will make her even happier, as her master trusted her despite knowing her identity since the beginning.
A bit manipulative? Yes. But honestly, both of us are manipulating the other, even if we have no bad intentions towards the other. Perhaps that's why she was the one summoned?
Compatibility.
"That's right." She nods. "What gave it up?" She tilts her head a bit.
"Well, you are clearly asian. And when I looked at your parameters, they were far higher than a Caster Servant should have. So you are most likely being strengthened by the land."
"Good! That's about right. I am a rather powerful Japanese Heroic Spirit..." She proudly says while doing a small spin that finishes in a cute pose, with her hands looking like a fox.
"That's perfect! While you're not the strongest physically, all of your other stats are impressive. Your agility, Mana, and Noble Phantasm in special."
"How is your Territory Creation and Item creation?"
"Sadly, my Territory creation is merely C-ranked. And while I do have Item creation, it's a specialized one. So I can't help much in that aspect."
"A bit disappointing. But nothing that will actually hinder us." I assure her. I already knew about that, so I never expected to use that ability of hers.
"Our priority should be to gather the Minor Fonts in the nearby area. Other Masters will surely have more resources than we do, so we need to have a high amount of Telluric Energy to equal the field." She nods at me.
Soon, the sun began rising again. Urgh, back home then. Probably for the last time, I didn't try leaving before because I lacked any way to influence people's minds. And it would be annoying if people kept trying to find me while I am practicing Magecraft.
But with Caster here, that is no longer a problem.
[Line Break]
Pov. ???
At the darkest hour, with only the light of the lamps illuminating the streets, the city seemed to hold its breath. Amidst the sounds of traffic and the occasional late-night wanderers, a shadowy figure darted through the narrow alleys, moving with a silence that defied the natural world.
The figure moved as if it were a ghost, blending into the night. His appearance was hidden from the world by a cloak of shadow that could only be described as supernatural. His footsteps were swift and light, leaving no sound as he rushed in a certain direction, guided by his magical senses into a direction saturated with magical energy.
'The magical energy of this area is far denser than in other places,' the Servant thought, acting cautiously in the unknown area. 'Master was able to detect a high concentration of Familiars here. The chance of an Enemy Master or at least a Rogue Servant being present is rather high.'
His caution was warranted. Suddenly, a streak of red light tore through the sky, hurtling toward him with impressive speed. The Servant barely had time to react, leaping aside as the projectile slammed into the ground, leaving a smoking crater where he had just stood.
With his caution raised to its limit, the Servant begins searching the area for his assaulter.
His eyes narrowed. 'Is he not here? No. He is simply too far for my vision to reach. If that's the case, then...'
'Clairvoyance!' The word echoed in his mind as his vision improved beyond mortal limits. With his newfound senses, he begins looking for the source of the attack.
Nearly a kilometer away, a giant of a man stood atop a rooftop, his imposing figure clad in an eastern red uniform adorned with golden armor and thick fur around the neck. In his hand, he held a black-and-golden bow, ornamented with red lines.
And he was pulling the bow's string.
Another red light, which revealed itself to be an arrow, traveled through the skies.
The Servant twisted his body mid-air, narrowly avoiding the arrow's deadly path. Yet, he did not retreat. Instead, he began to leap from rooftop to rooftop, with impressive speed.
'An Archer then? Slightly problematic, but nothing I cannot deal with.' The servant thought.
Usually, the archer would keep attacking his target until it was dead. But that seems not possible in this situation.
From his vantage point, the Archer observed his quarry with a calculating gaze. "Presence Concealment..." he muttered under his breath. "Ranked low enough that I was able to find him after he bypassed this area's Bounded Fields. But now he has increased his caution, making it harder to locate his position."
'Yet.' The archer grips his bow's string hard, a clear sign of annoyance. His last movement showed some sort of knowledge, as if he figured out my location. Which should be impossible considering the distance, unless he has some sort of Clairvoyance. But considering his display of Presence Concealment, I doubt it. Class containers would limit him in some way after all, or perhaps he is known in his legend for his stealth and sight?'
He shakes his head before firing three more shots. 'It's worthless to speculate with so little information. I will acquire what I need the way I am most accustomed to.'
"In War!" Archer declares before shooting five new arrows, but each in a separate direction.
'What?' the target servant confusedly thought.
The arrows all miss the servant, as Archer did not know his location. But soon, more arrows arrived.
'What is he doing? Few arrows even get even close to me, and most just straight up miss. And I doubt he is doing this without a purpose.' As he thinks this, the servant once again rushes in the archer's direction, dodging a few more shots.
The servant soon began reaching the Archer, with a mere few hundred meters of distance. But the Archer soon begins smiling. "Found you." He mutters.
An arrow then hits the servant on the shoulder, luckily, his immense speed allowing him to dodge the strike enough for it not be lethal.
'But how?!' The servant couldn't help but question.
The answer is rather simple. Each of the arrows fired by Archer was filled with his magical energy, in a way that a field surrounded the arrow. That, in a similar way to that of a Bounded Field, could allow him to sense if someone entered it. Thanks to the random shots fired at the beginning, he was able to figure out the enemy's servants' location. And now, he won't lose it again, making the Presence Concealment all but useless.
The Servant's mind raced. 'I must reach him before he can adapt further.'
He launched himself forward with renewed determination, weaving through the air with impressive skill. The Archer prepared another volley, each capable of doing massive damage if it hit his target.
The servant begins gliding through the air, dodging every arrow. But in an instant, everything changes.
Archer shoots more arrows alongside his usual barrage, but these don't get even close to the servant. But they have a far more interesting purpose, as they explode behind the servant, which changes the route of the other arrow, finally hitting him on the shoulder.
The servant barely has the time to grunt in pain before Archer shoots even more of these arrows.
'Protection From Arrows!' The words once again echoed through his mind, as he began being capable of dodging every single arrow with an unnatural prowess.
"I see!" Archer exclaimed, a gleam of delight in his eyes. "Imperial Privilege. No wonder he's able to wield so many unique skills. But now that I know your secret, this battle is over. Imperial Privilege has its limits—bound by rank—and using so many diverse skills must have already pushed you beyond those limits!"
Without hesitation, Archer unleashed a relentless storm of arrows, each shot fired with deadly precision and overwhelming speed. His intent was clear: to shatter the Servant's Protection From Arrows through sheer volume and force.
For a time, the Servant dodged with grace and agility, weaving through the barrage with ease. But the onslaught was unyielding, and soon, even his supernatural reflexes began to falter.
'Damn it!' the Servant cursed silently, frustration tightening his chest. 'I can't dodge them all forever. Maybe it's time to take this fight seriously… or perhaps I should retreat. After all, my mission here is complete. But I doubt Archer will let me leave so easily.'
Just as the arrows seemed poised to overwhelm him, a powerful gust of wind swept through the alley, halting the barrage mid-flight. Both Servants turned their gaze toward the source.
On a distant rooftop stood a new figure—a knight clad in dark-indigo armor etched with draconic motifs, mounted atop a black steed with a flowing white mane and piercing red eyes, carrying a dark lance filled with multiple red spikes.
"Lancer? But why now?" Archer muttered, annoyance flickering across his face.
The original Lancer's eyes narrowed. "Another Lancer? Perhaps one of the Rogues my Master warned me about. But this… this is the perfect opportunity." Without hesitation, he melted into the shadows, sprinting away from the battlefield.
"W-what? You won't run away!" Archer shouted, firing arrows in rapid succession. Yet again, the arrows were stopped by the same invisible wind barrier.
Turning sharply, Archer fixed his glare on the new arrival.
"Lancer," a powerful, majestic voice echoed, muffled slightly by the knight's helm but commanding nonetheless. "I have aided you in your fight. I trust you will aid me in mine."
The original Lancer paused, then responded with resolve, "If my Master agrees, I shall stand with you, Rogue Lancer." And with that, he vanished once more into the darkness.
Archer, having lost his primary target, shifted his focus to the new challenger. But before he could act, a whirlwind of lightning and wind enveloped the Rogue Lancer, and in an instant, they disappeared.
"A shame," Archer muttered bitterly. "If not for my Master's orders… Blasted Seal!" With a final glare, he dematerialized, leaving the battlefield momentarily silent.