The gruesome claws did not end up taking my life.
Instead, she—the one who referred to herself by the rare name of Draco—pulled me along.
It was quite a ridiculous sight, being led by the hand of a small child who barely reached my chest, yet it felt natural.
It was a strange feeling, as if she were saying, ’Isn‘t this what you want, too?‘
“Pfft. Aren‘t you even going to ask where we‘re going? How can you follow me like a stupid dog, not knowing what I might do to you?”
“Because you‘re dragging me by force, and I‘m not strong enough to break free…”
“Weakling. A weeeakling who gets overpowered by a child.”
I stand corrected. This feeling is the absolute worst.
A desire to flick that smirking little kid on the forehead welled up inside me.
“Do you want to hit me? My cheek is right here, see? Hmm?”
Draco tapped her own mochi-like cheek as she approached.
Her cheeks were the kind you just wanted to pull. The baby fat on the child's face was truly aggressive in its own way.
Knowing that I couldn't hit her, Draco showed a hint of disappointment as she reproached me.
“Of course, you can't. Because you… no, you‘re a coward.”
Draco glanced at me sideways. When our eyes met, she spun around abruptly. I couldn't understand her intention.
“Ouch.”
Instead, I was hit by her tail. As if to prove that a beast is a beast, Draco had a long tail.
But it wasn‘t just a tail; it was covered in spikes. A direct hit would surely leave a hole in you.
“Hah. Hah.”
“Stop it. That hurts.”
“If you don‘t like it, then resist.”
Draco wiggled her hips and wagged her tail energetically. It was funny, like watching a kindergartener‘s dance routine.
My body, however, had to desperately dodge to avoid the tail.
“Just stop.”
Feeling like I might actually die, I grabbed Draco‘s shoulders and spoke firmly.
“Uh… ugh.”
One moment she was teasing me relentlessly, and the next, she reacted like a child.
The warmth from her tense shoulders transferred through my hands. Her expression, as she looked up at me, was filled with anticipation.
But what kind of anticipation was it? We held each other‘s gaze, neither knowing the other‘s thoughts.
It was Draco who backed away first.
“Ho-how insolent. Insolent!”
With a slightly flushed face, she pushed me away. I fell to the ground, landing on my butt.
It was a night in Fuyuki, after everyone had fallen asleep. The only sources of light were the streetlamps and the red glow of Draco‘s eyes.
Her crimson eyes widened in panic when she saw me fall.
“Sorr—!”
“Sorr?”
“…Having such a feeble body, of course that would happen.”
Draco‘s crimson glow faded, and her voice turned cold.
I dusted off my backside and stood up. Draco‘s gaze was fixed on me, unable to look away.
“…Are you aware that a war is taking place in this city right now?”
“Of course I know about the Holy Grail War. I was a participant once.”
“And the fact that two Servants are invading the remaining camps to claim you?”
I knew.
But it seemed Draco had no intention of hearing my answer from the start. Before I could even nod, she grabbed my collar.
Not the hand of a beast, but the delicate hand of a child. Now that I looked, her attire was bizarre as well.
A red dress, far too revealing for a child to wear. With cutouts at the chest and back that left bare skin exposed, who on earth would have dressed her in such a thing?
“Just a moment ago, a battle was raging here.”
So this is where she was taking me—a place related to the Holy Grail War.
But as I looked around, I couldn't find any traces of a battle. It was just a quiet… park.
“I don‘t see anything out of the ordinary. Is there some residual magical energy?”
“That‘s right. As expected, you can‘t feel it.”
“My magic circuits come from a beast‘s power. It‘s only natural.”
Draco led me to another place. We left the park behind and walked through the deserted night streets of Fuyuki.
The next place we arrived at was in front of a mansion.
It was a luxurious, Western-style mansion, with about half of its walls and fences covered in ivy.
“This is… the Matou mansion.”
“A den of insects. A witch has now incinerated it all.”
“…I see.”
I knew instantly who the witch was, but I didn‘t say her name.
Draco stared at me for a moment before moving on again. At first, she had dragged me forcefully, but now she didn‘t hold onto me.
The atmosphere was such that I could have run away. But strangely, I didn't want to.
Was it because I‘d heard she was my daughter? I found myself strangely concerned.
“Let‘s go together. Why are your legs so fast when you‘re so short?”
I hurried after her, afraid that her small silhouette would disappear into the shadows.
I was already getting used to following her.
This time, it took a bit longer. Draco and I passed through the city center and arrived at the riverbank.
A large bridge, painted bright red, came into view. Instead of climbing the bridge, Draco headed down to the riverbed below it.
In an open area with moderately high grass, Draco sat down. Her huge tail was tucked neatly into her lap.
She‘s quite skillful, considering how the spikes must be uncomfortable. With that thought, I went and sat next to her.
Draco‘s shoulders flinched as I approached.
“…What is it.”
“It‘s cold if you‘re alone. How do you plan to endure Fuyuki‘s November weather, dressed like that?”
“We are not cold.”
Ignoring her, I sat down right beside Draco. Our warmth was transferred through our shoulders, legs, and hips.
The weather was indeed chilly. It was cold enough to see my breath, but Draco didn't seem to mind at all.
“That bridge.”
“You mean the Great Bridge?”
The Great Bridge Draco pointed at had no cars passing over its six lanes.
“Rider died there. It was a pathetic end for someone who possessed a Noble Phantasm like a Reality Marble. There was no one by her side… no. There was one person. Come to think of it, it wasn't pathetic. We are in no position to judge.”
She gradually lowered her head, sinking into her own world.
“You know everything, don‘t you, Draco?”
“…That is not so.”
“Then you‘re moderately smart.”
“There is no ’moderately.‘ We are a genius.”
My intuition, having seen countless geniuses, told me that Draco was indeed one.
I didn't know what kind of talent she possessed, but she likely had enough to be so proud of herself. It was just a guess, though.
But at the same time, Draco was a dangerous beast.
My intuition, as always, warned me. My never-wrong intuition screamed at me to run away immediately.
And as always, I ignored my intuition.
“The price of choice is heavy.”
I threw out the line nonchalantly.
Draco said nothing.
“You show a little pity for someone, and you end up in a completely different world. You think you‘ve lived a decent life, but then again, maybe not…”
Why was I able to say things to Draco, whom I‘d just met, that I couldn't say to anyone else?
“It‘s complicated. I resent them, but I‘m grateful, and yet I still resent them. But still, I hope we can understand and compromise with each other again.”
Isn‘t this the path all humans have walked? The thought suddenly occurred to me.
Draco, who had been listening to my words carefully, looked at me.
On a night where the moonlit sky shone down on us, Draco‘s eyes were impossibly red.
“Why?”
“Do you love them?”
“I love everyone.”
“What is love?”
Draco‘s question was heavy. I felt like I had said something related to this once, but unfortunately, I couldn't remember it well.
Because I think I was wrong.
If my conclusion had been right, I wouldn't be wandering the empty streets under hypnosis like a pathetic soul.
“I don‘t know.”
“How can you love if you do not know? That is a lie. Deception.”
Draco was angry. She had jumped to her feet at some point, and her hands were trembling.
“Everyone lies. It‘s not that everything I loved was a lie, but… you must have lied to me too. Right?”
“If that is so, then does love not exist?”
“That‘s a difficult topic. It‘s… too cold to talk about it here right now.”
I stood up. Draco‘s head tilted all the way up.
“Our conversation is not yet over.”
“Let‘s talk again next time. You need to sleep early to grow taller.”
After some bickering, we compromised and agreed to discuss love as soon as we woke up the next day.
“Fufu. We are superior in both negotiation skills and intelligence.”
“Right.”
The truth was that I gave in because Draco threw a tantrum, but whatever works, works.
“A victory. We must celebrate. Where is the wine glass?”
“The department store is already closed, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Hmph. A pity.”
The night grew deep. We had no place to return to. Neither I nor Draco wanted to sleep outdoors.
Fortunately, I had a little money, so I was able to rent a decent hotel room. Though it was a cheap place, closer to a motel than a hotel.
“See to it that you choose a better location next time.”
“If you keep puffing up your cheeks like a blowfish, your lips will get stuck like that.”
“Hmph. We know our future. Such a thing will not occur.”
Draco didn‘t hide her emotions. If she was disappointed, she showed it. If she was happy, it was obvious.
She just didn‘t say it out loud.
I carefully opened my mouth.
“Did you come here to protect me?”
“Wha-what? As if we would ever do such a thing! We are not so idle as to waste time on you!”
The reaction was immense. Draco‘s voice was so shrill that the bed creaked.
Standing in front of a human siren was pure agony. I thought my eardrums would burst.
“…Let‘s try to speak a little more quietly.”
I tried to pacify her with the gentlest voice possible, but it wasn't easy.
“Get out! Right now!”
“But I‘m the one who paid for this room?”
“W-we are the Emperor!”
“Alright, then I‘ll sleep on the floor, and you can have the bed.”
She could at least agree to that. Draco seemed to realize she had gone too far and didn't push any further.
“Good night.”
“We are…….”
Do Servants not sleep? I peeked at the bed and saw she was sleeping soundly.
However, she slept like a corpse, without even a breath of sound, which was a little scary.
Only after placing my hand near her nose to confirm she was alive could I finally fall asleep in peace.
And the next day. When I went to the front desk to return the hotel key, I immediately had to cover my face.
“Uh… uh-oh?! It‘s the old man! But his mana path isn‘t connected!”
“Lupus? And that child… who is she?”
Johanna?