“………..”

“………..”

Well, this is awkward.

What should I do now?

Should I go like “Kyaa! Pervert!” and throwing my kris around?

Wait, that sounds dangerous…. actually.

Furthermore, that didn’t suit my character at all.

“…. Saber….”

“…………Good morning.”

“…I’ll go brush my teeth first…”

He closed the bathroom door.

His face was beet red.

From outside, a shout echoed:

“WHY ON EARTH DOES SERVANT NEED TO TAKE A BATH ANYWAY?!”

“But Master… I want to try the temperature control feature…”

“STOP WASTING WATER!”

And that is how we started the first day of the War.

Mahkota Parade.

Similar to the harbors back in my time, this is the place where merchants from all over the country would gather their goods.

In simpler word, it is a… shopping mall.

“Master, this place is so crowded!”

“I forgot that today’s Sunday.”  

“Uh… I’ll better return to my spirit form.”

“Wait… we’re in public, don’t you even dare!”

The people around started to look at us. They must have thought that we were in a middle of lover’s quarrel. I can even hear some of them mentioned newlyweds.

That impression was pretty much disturbing.

“Arghh… why am I being dragged into this?”

“Speak for yourself… we’re out of foods all because of you.”

“Wait… there’s no more food? A warrior cannot prevail in war with empty stomach!”

“The food is meant for me… not you!”

After a few hours of fighting, we finally began our so-called ‘shopping’ activity.

Master reminded me that he is currently tight in budget, so we must keep it simple.

On second thought, how does a magus even gained money anyway?

“Can we request for some sort of funds from the Church?”

“HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!”

Well, I’m just asking.

“I’m going to pick up the groceries…you better just stay here.”

“It is a Servant’s obligation to protect their Master. Anywhere, anytime.”

“I’M GOING TO USE MY COMMAND SPELL!”

“Please Master! Restrain yourself!”

And with that, my Master disappeared into the swallowing shrouds of people.

All of them seemed to be focused on the ‘discount items’ section… for whatever reason there is.

It is needless to say that Master had already become one of those scavenging zombies.

He looked horrible…more than he usually is, I mean.

As for me, I need to find something to kill this boredom.

There is an attractive looking electronic store lying at the innermost part of the building.

Should I go and check it out for a while?

“Why, hello there.”

The moment I set my foot into that store, a man, who is around his thirties, welcomed me with a brilliant smile.

“Looking for anything peculiar, lovely lady?”

My garment was consisted of my Master’s metal band t-shirt and knee-length denim. Due to difference in size, the clothes were all loose and baggy.

I don’t know how he considered that as ‘lovely’.

Not that I’m complaining… I am used to wearing men’s attire anyway.

“So, what’s new?”

Triggered by that simple question, the man immediately bombarded with a storm of offers.

“How abut this one? It has large, touch screen and all…Wi-Fi, large RAM… you name it! Or would you prefer tablet then? This one over here…”

Okay, how should I react?

Calm down, I don’t even have any money! I just came here to mess around, all right!

“Here, slide through the screen… really smooth!”

He took out a phone from the glass drawer and handed it to me.

His excitement caused me to feel guilty.

Maybe I should just play along with him for now?

“O…okay…”

I place my finger on the phone’s screen.

CRACK!

Damn it… this is bad. Really, really bad.

I literally break the fragile piece of machinery.

Because of my anxiety, I unconsciously applied too much pressure while pressing it.

He silently stood there in shock.

His hands are trembling. His eyes are watery.

Wait, he… cried?

“Forgive me, sir…I…”

“No, it’s okay… it’s just that…

You reminded me of my wife.”

NOW WHERE THE HELL DID THAT CAME FROM?

“My wife is really bad with machines. Every time she touches an equipment, it will explode…”

THAT’S EVEN WORSE!

“How I miss her, for now… she is in another world…”

“Ah, please be strong, sir… all who once lived…”

“No, she’s not dead… I think she is currently strolling around in the kitchen, baking explosive cookies and goes like “My oh my my”, back in our house.”

SO WHAT’S WITH THAT DRAMATIC REMARK JUST NOW?

AND ONE MORE THING, THAT DESCRIPTION OF YOUR WIFE IS FAR TOO DETAILED!

“Oh… I want to taste her cooking…”

DIDN’T YOU JUST MENTIONED THAT IT IS EXPLOSIVE?

“Honey, I want to return home!”

He left the store while bawling to his heart content.

Is it really okay for him to leave like that? What about his shop?

I think it’s better for me to also flee from here.

“Ouch!”

As I turned around, my head suddenly bumped into a woman who was running from the opposite direction.

With glasses and executive-looking suit, she must belong to one of those professional fields.

I can sense a strong distinction between her appearances and mine.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry…ARGHH!”

While apologizing, she accidentally slipped her feet, causing her to fall face-first on the floor.

I guess this type of women can be pretty clumsy too.

I offered her my hand, and by that split second…

A wave of unpleasant aura started to rush through my veins.

This presence… could it be…

“Are you… a Master?”

I couldn’t be mistaken… there’s even a red circular pattern embedded on the back of her palm.

An emblem of the Grail War… the Command Spell.

“Urghh…”

She retracted her hand, hastily got up, and ran away from me.

I tried to give her a chase, but…

“Saber, what’re you doing?”

Master emerged from behind me, with plastic bags hanging around his waist.

So all those talk about saving money is nothing but pretense, eh?

“What’s the matter?”

“I think… I encountered a Master just now… and her Servant is there, too…”

“So, where are they?”

“They managed to escape.”

“Hmm… if they didn’t have any intention to fight yet…then let them be.”

I  noticed something on the surface of the floor.

There are traces of magical energy left behind by the Servant.

A clear sign of invitation.

“At least one of them is not thinking that way, Master…”

********************

9.00 p.m.

It had been at least 20 hours since she was first summoned to this world.

Unlike the other Servants, her summoning was done irregularly.

After all, her Master is not even a magus.

However, that fact did not shake Archer’s steeling determination.

There are some objectives which she must accomplish.

But winning the War is not one of them.

“Uuuu…”

Archer’s Master sat silently at the corner of the room.

She groaned in despair.

These two days had become a total hell for her.

“First, I was dragged into this ridiculous Grail-thingy war…

…then, my boss, that old fart, keep tangling around me…

… and this had to happen on my 26th birthday…

… on top of that, I STILL DID NOT HAVE A BOYFRIEND YET AT THIS AGE!”

In response to her Master’s absurd confession, Archer shook her head in disbelief.

“That is your highest concern at this time, Master?”

“Shut up, there’s no way for a kid like you could understand my feelings!”

“Even with this look, Master… I actually had the experience of marriage in my past life.”

“THERE’S NO WAY FOR A MARRIED WOMAN LIKE YOU COULD UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS!”

“Now you’re being in the state of denial, Master.”

Archer sighed a little, and continued:

“To be honest, I can understand your dilemma quite well. Due to my country’s military and power succession problems, I had a hard time in finding love myself.”

“Oh… really? In what age did you get married?”

“Sixteen.”

The atmosphere in the room grew even tenser than before.

“Swallow this…I’m 26 alright…TWENTY-FREAKING-SIX!”

“Master, our timeline and culture are completely different, in case if you forget about that.”

A faint remnant of magical presence.

That is all it took to change Archer’s mannequin-like expression.

She can tell that there is a being such as herself currently approaching this place.

The female Servant from before… as expected, she had accepted the challenge.

She smiled.

The opening curtains of the Holy Grail War will fall tonight.

*****************************

“This is where the lead ends.”

“Are you really sure, Saber?”

Master furrowed his eyebrows at me.

“I mean, seriously… an apartment?”

Well, I can’t deny that it looks pretty normal for an enemy fortress, but still…

“Didn’t change the fact that I can sense a Servant here.”

“So, where’s their position?

“Around 26 floors from ground.”

The lines on his forehead started to become more obvious than before.

“Quite high.”

“Well, not for me, Master.”

Along with the arrival of the strong wind, my body had been enveloped with the traditional Malay battle apparel, a dark green baju melayu which I always bring into the heat of mayhem.

I held my right hand high, and a dark brown object begun to take shape inside of my tightly clenched fist.

The undefeatable kris, Taming Sari.

The weapon which once shook the earth of this land in fear.

I placed the renowned blade inside the wrapping of my sampin.

After suppressing a great amount a mana on the sole on my feet, I proceeded to jump towards the building wall.

Then, I started to run, as if the erected structure was nothing but a spreading plain field.

I fasten my movement and looked forward.

In front of me… was the captivating face of the full moon.

There was a soft knock on the windows pane of the apartment.

That, in her mind, was entirely impossible.

The only ones who can do that are basically ghosts and other supernatural things.

She forgot, that the being, now resting serenely inside her house, does also belong to such categories.

“Oh, our guest of honor had arrived!”

The ‘spirit’ suddenly shouted out and ran in joy, like a child celebrating her parent’s arrival from work.

“Hey, Archer… wait up!”

She swiftly followed behind.

But her footsteps were then put into halt.

Surrounded by the pieces from the broken windows, the emerald warrior made her grand entrance.

As the shining fragments of the glass fell hardly to the floor, the intruder faced her with a hair-raising expression…the expression only befitting for the harbinger of chaos.

Fortunately, those dark brown eyes were not directed at her.

Instead, it was meant for the person, or rather entity, who is now standing right ahead, confronting the cold stare.

“Servant Saber.”

“Servant Archer.”

After that brief introduction, the two Heroic Spirits dissolved themselves into the realm of annihilation.

Although it was not my usual approach to be on the offensive, my endless thirst for the battle cannot be contained anymore, causing me to take such action.

Of course, the compensation for doing it came in a hard way.

My attacks were immediately parried, and with another lightning movement, she rose her feet to the side of my rib.

“Guh…”

I blocked the kick, yet the tremendous thrust can still be felt.

Looks like I found myself a formidable opponent!

I jumped back, rearranged my breathing and put back my fighting posture.

“You desire a weaponless dual?”

I chuckled to the Servant’s question.

“While a weapon does carry a warrior’s power and pride, the true value of a combatant can only be seen when they defy the enemies without it.”

“Interesting… then, allow me to silence you with these bare hands.”

“With pleasure.”

She closed up the gap between us with a single push from her leg.

“Too hasty!”

Judging by the kick from before, I can tell that she is a fighter who is more focused on the usage of pure strength.

So, an agile counter is all it needs to take her down.

After escaping her assault, I filled my fist with mana, and delivered a merciless uppercut to the center of her chin.

The plan succeeded, as her small body had been sent flying towards the roof.

However, that was not enough to finish her.

She rolled her body and planted her feet onto the ceiling, obtaining a large sum of momentum.

Then, with a loud cry, she surged downwards to my position.

“You got to be kidding me!”

I dodged the surprise attack just in the nick of time.

My body would be pummeled if I were to take that chop kick directly.

No, this is not the time to be astonished. I must defeat her with my next move!

Taking advantage of the thick smoke, I slowly approached her, and landed my hands on her nape.

“TAKE… THIS!!”

I quickly crouched and threw her over my shoulder with full force.

She collided strongly against the thin wall of the apartment.

After a while, she managed to get up, yet it was clear that she had taken some damage.

“You’re pretty tough, aren’t you?”

I put on a sarcastic tone. However, I cannot deny the fact that a feeling of adoration had started to bloom inside of me.

“I’ve been told that a lot.”

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There was no sign of arrogance in her reply, as if she was merely declaring an obvious statement.

Again, she sprinted towards me, and readied herself for another deadly strike.

I fully analyze her action, and calmly prepared for it.

By that time, it seemed that the time flow had ignored our existence.

My punches.

A combination of three continuous blows towards the main vital points: the face, the neck, and finally the heart.

Her kick.

A diagonal slash to the neck, moving on to the lungs and stomach.

We both knew the results and the consequences for our respective technique.

The only remaining question is:

Whose attack will meet their opponent first?

“SABER, STOPPPP!!”

And with that scream, I was immediately returned to the real world.

Taken aback, Archer spontaneously withdrew her previous action.

A sign of irritation can be seen on her face.

The new visitor walked playfully through the main door, paying no heed to the murderous intent that filled the space just a moment ago.

“Now what took you so long, Master?”

“The lift is really crowded, you know?”

“Li…lift? You’re a magus, aren’t you? Just use some freaking magic already!”

“Meh, too troublesome.”

“Why are you even a magus?!”

Master completely ignored my frustration, and started to confront the other Servant.

“We need a change in venue. Even in the middle of war, ransacking someone else places is still considered immoral for me.”

What with the overly formal attitude, Master? And one more thing…

I studied the crates and holes that resulted from my battle with Archer. It was closer to mass destruction rather than simple ransacking.

Before I can open my mouth, a woman, from out of nowhere, suddenly emerged in front of Master.

“YOU’RE WAY TOO LATE!”

Thanks for speaking out my mind, young lady.

She hysterically stomped on the floor, until Archer came along and fainted her with a hard smack on the forehead.

I, as a spectator for this ridiculous drama, can only remain silent.

***************************

Hello, everyone! My name is Suelyana, but you can keep Sue for short.

Aged 21… wait, what’s with the cold glare?

Okay, I admit it… I’m 26… and pathetically… single.

I am a normal woman, working as a normal office lady, in a normal company, leading a normal everyday life.

However, these two days were far from what I usually defined as normal.

First, there is a little girl who vowed her loyalty to me as a Servant.

She called herself ‘Archer’. I mean, what kind of name is that? Sounds like a cheap MMORPG character, if you ask me.

Apparently, I had been chosen as a participant for the god-knows-what-war, in which I literally have zero idea about it.

Now, sitting beside me, dressed in a freaky red costume, and munching a handful of popcorn, is the guy who declared himself as a magus, and also one of the contestant for the War.

He is kind of good-looking, but everything about him is just plain weird. Besides, I hold no interest for younger man.

“Hey, what’s your name again?”

“Sue… just Sue.”

“Popcorn?”

“I’m allergic to butter.”

“Too bad.”

And like any other cheesy anime show, we were supposed to watch our Servants as they beat each other to death.

Of course… that is how I want to spend my precious Sunday night.

“Potato chips?”

“Where the hell does that food come from?”

AHHH-CHOOMM!!

Dammit, this place is freezing cold!

I mean, on top of an abandoned construction site?

At least be a little bit original in choosing the stage! This isn’t an 80’s fighting game.

“Instant noodle?”

“NOOOOO!!!!”

My house, my poor house.

Completely demolished, leaving only rubbles.

I think it deserves a fine funeral.

No, you couldn’t die, my beloved home! I haven’t finished your loan yet!

“Don’t worry about the apartment, I will cut off Saber’s daily meal to deal with it.”

“Master, not fair! This is oppression! I demand my rights!”

“SHUTTT UPPP!!!”

Arghh… I can’t take this anymore!

I went between the two Servants, took off my sweater and waving it like an idiot.

I don’t even care anymore. I just want this disaster to end quickly!

“ROUND ONE! START!”

Why did I become a ring girl, again?

************************

As expected, all of her vigorous strikes were packed with an insane quantity of energy.

However, there were still no observable signs of power exhaustion.

If anything, her attacks only grew stronger, and perhaps, even more precise.

The spear-like pole spun rapidly under her splendid command.

Using that weapon, she can easily surpassed me in terms of strength and fighting distance.

Yet, since the beginning of the battle, there was something bothering her.

“Aren’t you going to unsheathe your blade?”

“Oh, why should I?”

My provocation was replied by a straight stab near the neck region, which I easily avoided by moving backwards.

Of course, I have my own reason to conceal this kris of mine.

The javelin she held may be a fine weapon, but it clearly did not carry any qualities of a Noble Phantasm.

From what I observed, it was just an ordinary steel strengthen with a sufficient amount of mana.

She still had another trump card hidden behind her sleeves…

And I need her to quickly reveal it!

“Such a hard-headed person.”

A crescent pattern begun to emerge in the air, following her abrupt slashes.

However, the javelin only managed to rip the edge of my hair, as I already stooped forward and geared myself up for a direct hit.

“Like I said…”

I focused all my attention to her head, which was fully exposed at the moment.

“I’M DOING JUST FINE!”

And then, a flying fist that could even shatters a mountain.

“This… could not be…”

I can only stood there in the state of confusion.

The situation had been incomprehensibly overturned.

My palm had been cruelly gorged by the shining long metal, leaving a bright red spot on the end of its tip.

“Wait, that kind of speed is impos…”

My eyes trailed for an explanation, and I found the answer in the next seconds.

The javelin which I evaded before was still clasped firmly in her left hand.

So, the one that devoured me here… was a completely different weapon.

“Ughh…”

I pulled out my hand, though for the unspeakable pain that followed after.

“Heh, you’re quite good…”

Archer stared at me with her twin javelin, which is the mirror image of each other.

The only dissimilarity is one of them had already been breached by my blood.

“So much for your trick, Archer…”

I swayed my damaged hand into the cold wind of the night.

The wound inflicted by her beforehand had completely disappeared, as if it was never even there.

“The skill of instant healing, eh?”

“Well, close… but not quite.”

This is one of the attributes granted to me as the wielder of Taming Sari.

The gift of invincibility.

The power to forbid any kind of physical interferences to affect my body condition.

Well, to a certain magnitude.

If one were to use a full scale Noble Phantasm which is meant to destroy a large structure, such as fortress, my body still could not survive from the blast, since I will be nothing but ashes.

“Prepare yourself!”

Maybe due to impatience, Archer rushed in with a fast, yet predictable flow of attacks.

I effortlessly deflected them, until she released a sudden sweep at the ground I was standing on, causing me to lose my stability.

“Urrghh…”

I straightaway flipped my body and landed on my right hand.

However, her other javelin had already set its vicious eye on me.

I curled up my arm and immediately straighten it back, providing me with some force to lift myself up into the air.

The elevation only lasted for a brief moment, yet it was enough for me to escape her killing attempt, and regain a comfortable spot in this battle.

“My turn!”

Before dropping back to the ground, I promptly slammed her back using the lower part of my leg.

She was pushed forward, yet she managed to prevent herself from falling down by exploiting her javelins as a balancing device.

In my mind, this situation served as a perfect opening.

Now that both of her weapons were embedded to the floor, she had absolutely no means to defend herself!  

…and that was when I committed the fatal mistake.

Two sharp objects pierced simultaneously at both sides of my shoulder.

Of course, her twin javelins were still there on the ground, remained untouched.

“ARCHERRRRR!!!”

I screamed, as her figure grew more and more distant.

I tried to stand up, yet the severe pain hindered me from doing so.

“So that is your game, Archer…

Duplication magic, just how wonderful is that?”

The song of destruction did not stop at here, at least not for Archer.

Archer armed the two weapons which she discarded before, and threw it towards me within a single breath.

Remaining idle was never an option for me.

I tugged the bloodstained javelins out from my body, and used it to counter her upcoming incursion.

A sharp and tingling sound broke through the tormenting silence.

Upon the collision, all four of the javelins dissipated into thin air, engulfed by the shadow of the night.

And the ones that followed those disappearances… were the injuries that I acquired from before.

“Heh… Saber, that skill of yours is quite bothersome…”

“Tell me about it.”

Well, this ability might look convenient to an outside observer.

In contrast, it actually placed a heavy restraint upon my body.

After all, pain is not something which is entirely physical.

Regardless of the effort, a person could not easily forsake the feelings they have when encountering such severe incidents of pain.

The feelings, the emotions of being hurt, still lingered even with the vanishing of the wounds.

I can still sense a stinging numbness at the areas which she once impaired.

This occurrence is quite understandable, considering that my mind and body is currently in great conflict with each other.

“I think I have enough playing around.”

Archer uplifted herself to a higher ground, enlarging the distance between us.

Then, she performed a move which almost looked like an elaborate dance.

Even with the presence of the bright moon at her back, her majestic profile remained unfazed.

No, it would be more truthful to say that she had outshined the moon itself.

The splendor suited for a goddess.

An incessant voice of the dropping metals.

One could easily mistaken it for a series of echoes.

But that was not the case.

Around seven deadly javelins had formed from Archer’s empty hand, before they fell harmoniously to the ground, encircling their wielder.

This is an indication… or rather, a warning…

The goddess had finally bared her fangs, and shall consume her victim with the ferocity of a tiger.

“Begone.”

One; a straight, direct plunge from above her shoulder, which cut through the opposing airstream.

Two; a waist level fling which made the javelin flew in a saucer-like pattern, a complex sequences of motion.

Three; a strong kick which pushed one of her weapons to spin vertically in mid-air, like the rampaging wheel of a chariot.

Four; an upward leg thrust which sent the metal pole flying to heavens, before descending down with the acceleration of a shooting star.

This is the capability that made her belong to the Archer class.

Her whole body is a representation of a large bow, which shoots countless ‘arrows’ in a matter of seconds.

The bewildering minstrel of madness still continued her pace.

Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of being one of its spectators.

The performance will not stop by only taking your breath away.

It is a deranged theatre that claimed the soul and life of its audience.

“Heyyah!!”

The first assault was quite easy to dodge, considering its foreseeable nature.

But the next one was somewhat tricky.

The javelin hovering movement was greatly affected by other external forces, such as the wind, forcing me to take some great measures when dealing against it.

“Tchh!”

It was a close call, as the javelin only managed to leave a small graze on my ankle.

I realized that the other two threats had already conquered the ground and also secured the skies, respectively.

Heck, I am pretty sure that she had sent more intimidations to both of my sides, too.

Therefore, creating a perfect, inescapable prison.

“Well played, Archer. Well played.”

I murmured.

“I give you the honour of witnessing my true strength.”

More and more javelins were closing in with me.

It was in the spur of a moment.

Archer unending rain of weapons had been deflected, as if they were merely the fallen leaves of the spring.

Those with untrained eyes would simply claim that it is a work of an invisible force.

However, for Servants such as Archer, which upholds the skill of Clairvoyance, the reason for this unbelievable phenomenon can easily be perceived.

“A soaring… dagger…”

“Hey, what’s with the face, Archer? The true battle is only ‘bout to begin.”