Fate/Apocrypha - Volume 1 Read online

  Mordred's mother - in other words, King Arthur's sister Morgan - is said to have attempted at bringing down the King and having Mordred take over the throne, and had been as powerful a magus as Merlin. Given Saber's comment, Assassin must be quite the plotter as well.

  "...However it may go, be sure to keep your distance from her."

  Shishigou reached the end of the stairs and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Still, he made Saber confirm that there was no presence of any Servants nearby.

  "Actually, Master..."

  "Yeah, what?"

  "It's simply that... it comforts me to know that my Master is not a man who would give a price for trickery and deceit. Not that I'm greatlyrelieved, mind. Just... well."

  With some hesitant wording, she voiced her praise. At the very least, he had managed to benefit greatly from refusing Shirou's proposal - the Master had gained the trust of his Servant.

  "You're welcome. Now, we go to Trifas. If worse comes to worst, we could be dealing with every Servant in the war. You okay with that?"

  Saber declared herself loudly in response.

  "Leave everything to me, Master, for I am Mordred, the only knight to have surpassed my father!"

  Shishigou accepted this internally. It is said that, in summoning a Servant, a Heroic Spirit with a mentality similar to the summoner's own will be chosen. And she truly did resemble him.

  Yes... especially in her over-abundance of confidence.

  ---

  Chapter 2-3

  ---

  "That didn't go so well. I'm afraid that he might have sensed something."

  "Was it not possible for you to perceive Saber's true name, Shirou?"

  "It seems not. His Saber must possess some sort of skill or Noble Phantasm that can keep her identity secret. I was able to obtain her parameters, but aside from that..."

  "As I see it, uncertainty is the first enemy we must eliminate. There is still time - could we not send an agent after them?"

  "No, no, we shouldn't. It's still much too early for fighting among allies."

  Shirou quickly rejected Assassin's merciless suggestion.

  "Allies? Hardly."

  "Our interests coincide, and that makes us allies. We can deal with them after the Servants of Black are defeated. And how is it going with your Noble Phantasm, Assassin? The materials you lack should have all been gathered by now."

  "Yes, only the ritual required to establish it as my Noble Phantasm remains. I need three more days."

  "I see. Then it seems we will be able to breach Trifas in three days' time."

  "Yes, we need only to have the doves act as our scouts for these few days."

  The two abruptly ended their discussion and looked towards the door. After a short while, it was thrown open by an intruder, but Shirou relaxed after identifying the man.

  "Well hello, Caster. What are you doing here?"

  The man called Caster, foppishly dressed in refined Medieval-esque clothing, walked briskly down the nave while spreading his arms wide and shouting.

  "A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

  After a brief silence, Shirou - rather nervously, as though he felt somewhat apologetic - spoke.

  "...Was that from one of your works?"

  Caster's shoulders dropped as he sighed with disappointment at Shirou's words.

  "Oh, Master! How can it be that one lives in this age yet does not know of one of my greatest works! You must take the time to read this!"

  He held out a bulky hardcover - apparently, he had visited a book shop in order to buy his own work. The title read, The Works of William Shakespeare.

  The Caster of Red, William Shakespeare - the only playwright whose fame had reached around the world. To say that one has no knowledge of his works is to be disparaged as ignorant. It is even said that if one were to trace the source of any piece of modern literature, one would always find a Shakespearean creation.

  However, there is one thing he said just moments before that could not be ignored. 'Master', he had called Shirou - the one who already possesses Servant Assassin. Neither the priest nor the assassin had been taken aback by this. If this were true, then Shirou already had control of two Servants.

  While such a thing is possible, it is rather irregular. There has never been a case of a single Master commanding two Servants in prior Grail Wars. One would barely be able to prevent a self-inflicted death via prana drain. In that case, just how much prana does this man have reserved in him?

  "I might have been summoned by the Holy Grail, but it could hardly have granted me such knowledge as details about your works. All you are to me is 'a famous writer of history.'"

  Chapter 2-4

  ---

  But Saber knew full well that Shishigou had not chosen this place to be his workshop on a whim or out of folly - not that this made the situation any less aggravating.

  After all, his craft is necromancy. It is only natural that graves and morgues, and other such places which have been drenched by the deaths of human beings, will be most fitting for him.

  In addition, this underground tomb has multiple exits, making the place easy to escape from as long as the routes are not all sealed at once. And if it comes down to it, one can simply bore a hole straight up towards the surface. It is also difficult to collapse the roof over their heads even with bombs - the tomb is bigger than one might think, so it would require a great amount of explosives or a high-level ritual to blow apart completely. None of this will be an issue as long as they remain vigilant and maintain a watch.

  All in all, this place makes a surprisingly sturdy fortress... if you can get past the fact that it is a tomb.

  For the time being, Shishigou deployed a detection field around the exit of the tomb. He may have chosen this place to be his workshop, but it is still nothing more than a temporary roost. Shishigou has decided not to lay traps until he is sure that the war will be drawn out, and only when he has the time.

  Shishigou then took out a glass bottle from his backpack. It seemed to have managed to draw the attention of Saber - idly watching Shishigou as he labored - and she came to peek over his shoulder.

  "...Is that a snake?"

  "It's a juvenile Hydra, preserved in formalin. I doubt there's another one in the entire world."

  "Huh... and what do you plan on doing with it?"

  "Did you forget? You're talking to a necromancer. I'm going to process it."

  "'Process' it?"

  Shishigou carefully removed the Hydra from the bottle and laid it down on the floor. Just as Saber nonchalantly reached out, as though to touch it, Shishigou snapped sharply.

  "Stop! Don't touch it!"

  "...What? I just want to take a look..."

  Saber said somewhat sulkily. Shishigou sighed and explained.

  "Look, Saber... You have knowledge of the legend of Herakles, don't you? So, what comes to mind when we talk about the Hydra?"

  "...Well, it has nine heads..."

  "And?"

  "And it breathes poison... oh."

  "Exactly. A Hydra's body is filled with poison. If this were an adult, our lungs would be rotting right now just by being near it. Well, this one's only a juvenile - and it's dead - so it's all right as long as we don't touch it."

  Of course, unlike an ordinary man or woman, Saber would most likely not die. That said, the Hydra is still a demonic beast. As the adage goes: 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread'.

  Putting on a pair of thick leather gloves, Shishigou carefully removed the heads one by one using a knife. He then took the heads and submerged each in a reddish-black liquid.

  "What are you doing?"

  "If they were a bit longer, I'd be able to make a bolt. But, considering the size, a dagger is probably the best I can manage."

  "Hmph... Will it take a long time?"

  "Three hours or so, probably. We're not going anywhere until then, so get some sleep."

  Saber, however, chose not to sleep and squatted down nex
t to him.

  "Interested?"

  "If only. I have no interest in dissections or processes or what have you."

  Saber rested her chin on her hands, looking bored. 'Then get some sleep and save me the prana' was what Shishigou wanted to say, but he was positive that she would not listen.

  Using tweezers to pick up the Hydra heads from the liquid they had been submerged in, Shishigou held them over a candle's flame. It was a straightforward but extremely dangerous task which demanded his complete involvement.

  "...Hey, Master? What do you desire from the Holy Grail?"

  Even as Shishigou proceeded in his task - one which required absolute concentration, as a single misstep could lead to his death via the Hydra's poison - Saber asked him a question without a care in the world.

  "If you're asking me about the wish I'm going to make to the Holy Grail... I'm going to have it bring prosperity to my clan. I am a magus, you know."

  Saber looked disappointed at his rather pedestrian reply. It is only too natural that a magus wishes for the fortunes of his or her clan.

  "Is that it? How dull."

  "Don't be stupid - that stuff is important. A human being has a short lifespan, you know. You can't even live up to two hundred. But sons succeed the dreams of their fathers."

  "Not all sons succeed their fathers."

  "Are you speaking from experience?"

  Instantly, a scowl appeared on Saber's face. Shishigou apologized with a bitter smile. But she did not respond to his apology, instead wordlessly crawling into her sleeping bag.

  While Servants do not need to sleep, it is not without its use in controlling prana consumption. This is especially the case for Red Saber - Mordred - who devours an incredible amount of prana as payment for possessing incomparable strength. Having her save from using prana as much as possible will be for the better. Well... she is only sulking right now.

  As he processed the Hydra, Shishigou chewed on some dried meat and fruits for nourishment. But, now and then, he would shift his eyes from the silently proceeding task before him to the sleeping girl. Every time he looked, he saw only the face of an innocent child - in some way, this depressed him.

  Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, was one of those rare villains who, at the very end, managed to tarnish a glorious legend.

  Having been left in charge while Arthur was out on an expedition, Mordred saw her chance, instigating the army and taking the throne that she so wanted. Upon the King's return, a battle immediately unfolded between the forces of Arthur and Mordred - what would be known as the great battle of Camlann. Most of the King's famous knights were no longer present at this point and Arthur and Mordred engaged in one-on-one combat in the middle of the blazing battlefield. Even as she was pierced by the holy spear Rhongomyniad, Mordred dealt a fatal blow to the King.

  Arthur commanded Sir Bedivere, who remained loyal to the King to the last, to return the holy sword. It is said that Arthur either passed away on the hill or was healed in the Isle of Avalon.

  However, the only known fate of Mordred was that she was killed in the duel. But that is only natural - after all, Mordred is the antagonist who deceived the great Arthur Pendragon, the legendary King of Knights, whose name remains carved in Britain even today.

  "...Okay, that's all nine. Now for the body."

  Muttering to himself, Shishigou immersed himself in his thoughts. His views might be slanted due to how the summoning itself had went, but if he had the choice of having either Mordred or Arthur as his Servant, he would not hesitate to choose Mordred.

  Between the King - wielding a shining holy sword as the very manifestation of chivalry - and the rebellious knight who attempted an insurrection with the King's own men, is it not clear that the latter is far more interesting a personality?

  Shishigou did not fully understand whether Mordred felt love or hate for Arthur. After all, there is only a thin line between the two emotions. However, it is most certainly true that she was greatly influenced by Arthur. That was why she rebelled - to become more like her father or to deny the King's ways, Shishigou did not know - and, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, that took courage.

  "...I guess now I know why I summoned her."

  His smile was one of mockery for himself. A magus like him could never have summoned a proper Knight of the Round Table to begin with - so three cheers for the Knight of Treachery.

  Having completed his work, Shishigou crawled into his sleeping bag and slept like a log.

  Trifas becomes a silent place in the dead of night. There are no lights shining from the houses and no stores that operate through the night. Only streetlamps illuminated the darkness - weak light that can do little against the deep shadows.

  Mordred and Shishigou are searching for a place from which they will launch their assault on the Fortress of Millennia. In a regular Holy Grail War, it would be the norm to search for the workshops of enemy magi. But that is unneccesary in this case. After all, it is already certain that they will operate from that stronghold. There is no need to search for them, because there is no reason for an enemy Master nor Servant to be outside that stout fortress to begin with.

  In other words, nothing can be done without first attacking that fortress - which means keeping a distance and finding a good place to observe it first.

  The fortress is located north-east of Trifas and the three hectares surrounding it are forests. Trifas is situated on a plateau rising from west to east, so one can watch over the entire city from the highest point of the fortress.

  As such, Shishigou and Saber began their search south of the fortress. The best choice would be a tall building, not so close to the fortress but not also so far that nothing can be seen.

  "What about that?"

  Saber pointed to the century-old town hall. Constructed in a Secessionist style, the entire building was made up of straight lines and smooth surfaces - the vividly colored geometric tiles covering the roof stood out in particular.

  It is a precious work of art and a historically important building. However, that is meaningless to the pair whose only interest is the excellent view it should provide.

  "Looks good. Let's go up and take a look."

  Shishigou murmured. But then, Saber grabbed him by his collar for some reason.

  "...Uh."

  "Let's go."

  Getting a bad feeling, Shishigou tried to free himself from Saber. It was too late - with a sound of exertion, Saber used her Prana Burst to leap straight onto the roof. When they landed, the enormous stress pressing down on the back of his neck made Shishigou feel as though his consciousness floated away for a moment.

  A brief silence ensued during which Shishigou wondered how to reprimand the smug-looking Saber.

  "Don't do that again."

  In the end, he went with a simple, harmless complaint. Saber nodded, clearly lacking any remorse.

  "So how is this place, Master?"

  "Well..."

  The castle is close enough for them to watch over but the roof is far enough that observers on the other side should not be able to easily make them out. It truly is a perfect observation post. But...

  "No, it's no good."

  Shishigou sighed. Saber nodded in agreement with some annoyance. As they stood on the roof, a mass of what appeared to be birds flew out from the castle. Taking a closer look at the tiles beneath his feet, Shishigou saw that there was a disguised detection field spread around the roof.

  "Saber!"

  Before Shishigou could say another word, Saber had already changed into her suit of armor and was ready for combat.

  "...Are those hawks?"

  Due to the darkness of the night, it was difficult for even Shishigou to see anything beyond vague movements. However, with her extraordinary sight, Saber could clearly see the form of the coming attackers.

  "No... golems!"

  Four stone golems, seemingly modelled after dragonflies, descended upon them from all directions. Saber leapt and dest
royed one, then landed on the closest one on the ground and hacked down the other two.

  "Damn... there are more!"

  Saber brought her sword to bear without a moment's pause. Humanoid and non-humanoid golems appeared from all around them - they must have been camouflaged on the roofs of the nearby buildings. But there were more - humans gripping halberds appeared seemingly out of nowhere and, together with the golems, surrounded the pair.