"May I have your attention, my sweetheart. I have a little question for you, though it might be a little personal," a tall dashing beauty asks with his voice dripping with curious delight as he plays around with his straw inside the glass of apple cider smoothie.
"Hm? Sure, ask away, Peperoncino," Emilya responded as she contained herself from indulging in her fried rice made by the cafeteria. The table is filled with members of Team-A, out of them, Emilya had only successfully made 3 friends.
The passionate yet mysterious man with an interesting taste in fashion, Peperoncino Scandanavia.
The ever-so-serious maiden, who is surprisingly shy and timid and has a big interest in romance, Ophelia Pharmsolone.
A ball of negativity yet possesses an iron will. Mythology enthusiast and an avid reader, though timider than Ophelia is and very aware of his surroundings to the point it becomes unhealthy, he's a nice guy at heart. Kadoc Zemlupus.
"I heard you won a holy grail war from Chaldea's staff, I was just interested at what kind of Servant you had summoned and what your thought on them is," he said it with so much glee as if he was expecting her to spills some beans about a possible romantic relationship. Ophelia decided to join in as well since it is also interested her.
"I am also curious as well. When I asked to explain it in further detail from one of the staff, all they said is that 'it is complicated for it did not happen over here.' Is the info confidential? If I remember correctly, only the higher up and the clock tower know about your personal life story right?" Ophelia asks calmly yet words came out in rapid-fire too fast for a normal human to understand properly.
"Ah yes, I guess it is confidential. But if it is about my Servant, then it should be fine. Do you also want to hear it, Kadoc? Maybe it will give you some idea on how to deal with your Servant," Emilya offered to the quiet boy who has his head down on the table.
"Hnn? Sure, whatever, mind as well lend you my ears for a bit," he may come out as rude but everyone knew that was just his protective personality to keep harm coming to his good heart.
"Let's see, where do I start. My Servant was a Saber Class, it was a girl dress in, well, blue dress with a silver breastplate, plates of silver armor on both sides of her dress along with silver greaves and gauntlets. Her personality is similar to yours, Ophelia, serious and loyal, a knight who is devoted to her Master not because out of obligation, but out of respect and honor," Ophelia was taken aback from out of nowhere compliment but she shyly smile and accepted it.
"Saber, huh..." Kadoc mumbled, a bit jealous but he could understand why. Emilya may look like a harmless overworking staff member but with the way she holds herself, she's like a war veteran, even if she doesn't realize it. Kadoc isn't oblivious, he's been observing and judging people his entire life, and he can tell Emilya can easily sustain a Knight Class Servant without any trouble, heck she could probably even tame a Berserker.
"Ooo, a devoted and loyal knight? How romantic, a knight who protects the princess from other sinister men and women. I always like stories like that, it hit me personally to my SOUL! Hahaha!" Peperoncino laughs in hysterical joy.
"As much as I want to indulge in your fantasy, Pepe, but I already had a lover. Saber is more like my family than a love interest. It was nice having her around until I realize that I'm still in a war. I had lost everything in those endless nights, including my Servant, my lover, and my own self. The only reason I won is that I never give up, I team up with ally Servant to fight, and I fight Servant by myself with nothing but my own raw ability and power. But most of all, I fight, so I can save my beloved. In the end, here I am," the mood around the table had become sour, not even Pepe, who is usually very enthusiastic and radiating, decided not to say anything. He just looks at Emillya with a stoic face, probably thinking about what to say.
A hand reach out and landed on Emilya's shoulder, startling her. It was another member of Team-A, Akuta Hinako, who looks at her without any hint of emotion but her voice drips with empathy.
"At least know that I understand how you feel," with that said, she continue onward without looking back, leaving the cafeteria.
"Oh my, didn't know you made the unapproachable legend, Akuta Hinako herself to open up to you, tell me, what trick did you use, oh darling Emi?" Pepe asks, trying to lighten up the mood.
"Beat me, I guess I said something that she like or understood personally?" Emilya answered, honestly, she had been trying to make friends with Akuta but always seems like she's being ignored until now.
"...Hey Emilya, if your Servant, that Saber came out as a rouge Servant and on the side of wiping humanity clean, will you hesitate to order us to kill her?" Kadoc asks, ignoring Pepe's attempt to change the subject.
"Kadoc!?" Pepe and Ophelia scold him, though he just rolls his eyes and turns away, looking far into the distance while leaning against his elbow.
"What silly question is that Kadoc"
"huh?"
Emilya wipe her mouth with a clean tissue after finishing her last spoonful of fried rice. She looks at Team-A, eyes devoid of any light and emotion, and smile. Which startle all three of them and a bit frightening to see those stare in the ever so calm and collected short stature woman known as Emilya. Akuta, who's been watching from afar, sighs before leaving the canteen.
'That woman is more broken and lost than me,' she thought as she finally leave the cafeteria.
"The past is in the past. Right now, I don't want to indulge in them as much as I can. So to answer your question, if it is for the sake of preserving humanity...I won't hesitate"
...
..
.
"Who is this, who is this girl!?" Saber mentally yells. She, a Servant, one of the Knight Class, is on the defensive side from the onslaught of a single human child-like looking Magus. The way she fights is that of a wild animal, unpredictable, with no way of knowing what she's thinking.
Saber blocks an overhead swing from a sword that is no longer the Azoth Sword she used to hold. Only for it to de-materialize and went for a very strong to kick to the stomach when she still has some air time left and landed without any difficulty. Saber got pushed away slightly from the impact.
"..."
Emilya has one of her hands in her lab coat while observing her opponent, in creepy calmness. As if she was a combat doll devoid of emotion.
"Emilya-Senpai, I have never seen her fight like this before, not even inside the training simulation room," Mashu was awed but slightly scared of her senpai, who she looks up to and loved.
"I'm not surprised, I have seen it here and there but she tends to keep that side of her in check. As you already know, a homunculus can't live for a very long time. Under my dad's order, she was to be under constant maintenance if her body or core were ever harmed or shows a sign of losing herself. In exchange for longer life, she has to burn her emotion as fuel. Romani, how long has it been since her last health check-up?" Olga asks, the hologram appears as Romani answers back.
"No less than 3 months ago. If she's already showing symptoms of losing one-self, then her core is more worn out than I had thought. I suppose it makes sense, we removed the damaged lesser grail from her body since it was deemed useless to function as a core. If only we had another lesser grail, then we can extend her life without any more risk, mentally that is," Romani sighs in frustration.
"We can worry about that later, just make sure to check on her once we leave this place. The last thing we need is one of our important members to not be able to do her job properly as a Master" Olga ordered. Romani had no problem following that order, for he also wants Emilya to be in top condition.
"Understood, I will have Da-, I mean Miss Renown Genious to look into her later," Olga nodded in acceptance. Meanwhile, Mashu still feels like this doesn't feel right to her.
"Miss Olga, isn't this a bit wrong in the least? I mean, it feels like Emilya is more of a machine than a human," Olga would have said that Emilya isn't a human, to begin with, but she held back.
"I understand the alternative my dad came up with isn't ideal, and cruel at best. Even some member of Team-A was disgusted when they learned about that tidbit of information. Even Akuta Hinako, who usually didn't care about others, was VERY angry when she learned what Emilya had gone through. But to be honest, she never had faith in my dad, or in our humanity in that matter. But I promise you, I will look into finding another way where we can sustain her life-force risk-free from side effects," Mashu can only nod in acceptance for she can't do anything to help with that goal right now.
An explosion occurs, kicking up dust clouds so big, it could be misunderstood as an eruption. Saber was lying in the crater, battered and injured while Emilya was frozen in place, with her hand up in the air, readying to fire Noble Phantasms she projected below the ceiling of the cavern, but can't as if she was paralyzed. Tamamo had put a curse on her.
"Husband, I heard everything from that girl and I understood now. Sorry for not realizing your struggle. I had always wondered why I got summoned by a kind-hearted person like you, at first I thought it might be because you had a playful personality, that of a trickster fox like me. But that's not only the case it seems.
Tamamo stands in front of Emilya, who looks up at her in confusion. She cups her Master's face and places her forehead against each either, looking straight into each other eyes.
"It is because my evil alignment was more suited to this side of you. But you know, just like how you wish to ignore your past, I wish to ignore my evil side as well. I might embrace it here and there but I won't do anything that might be to your disliking. So, come back to me, darling~" as if she had spoken a magic word and cast charm on her, lights finally return back to Emilya's pupils.
"Tamamo...I'm sorry, I was out of character there wasn't I? I'm embarrassed and ashamed," despite everything, Emilya chuckles, and smiles. Tamamo did the same and release the curse.
"No need to apologize, mikon! You were so cool beating down a Servant, and your wild style of fighting might even have made my feral side more attracted to you~" she cooed as she hug Emilya into her bosom.
"Can't, breathe"
Tamamo finally let go, as Emilya get a chance to breathe in 'not so sweet' air for it was dusty. Emilya looks down on Saber and slides into the crater. One of the swords in the air shot itself into Emilya's hand, which she grabbed without looking. She points her sword at Saber as if asking if she wants to continue on. Saber stood up in response, but.
"I yield"
That was unexpected, who would have thought the King of Knight would give up.
"Why, surely you want a proper fight, not...whatever that was," Emilya admit that her fight was less of a fight and more of a storm tearing through everything. Emilya won't complain though, her body had been pushed to the very limit, one Servant fight was all she could manage after going wild like that.
"I love to, but as you can see, my spirit origin is already shattered. No wonder, with you throwing Noble Phantasms at me left and right, though it was slow since it takes time to conjure, you were attacking while summoning weapons at the same time, leaving you with enough time to collect an entire arsenal of them in the air," Saber explained while exhausted, meanwhile Emilya
de-materialized all her weapons.
"Forgive me for that, if I was my normal self, I would have never thought of fighting in that kind of manner, since it is too strainful on my body," Emilya apologized as she stumbles and lose her balance after relaxing her muscles, thankfully, Tamamo was there to catch her.
"Either way, you win. So here," Saber chucks, what seems to be a Holy Grail at Emilya.
"Generous aren't we?" Emilya giggles as she caught the grail into her embrace.
"The dead has no right to choose what to do with it, ironic since we are all Servants. But I warn you, there are more challenges in your journey to restore humanity," Saber's body begins to fade away slowly, the Throne of Heroes beckon her to return. Olga and the rest arrive just in time to witness it happening. Cu wasn't satisfied with the result for he wants payback but it is what it is.
"Grand Order. The Holy Grail War has just begun!" Saber declared, as her body completely vaporized, leaving some sort of magic crystal where she had stood, presumably the source of her corruption.
"Grand Order. How did she know about it?" Olga muttered to herself before she got startled when a Holy Grail was thrown at her. She juggled it around, trying to get a steady hold with the grail slipping like a bar of soap, luckily, she managed to get a proper hold onto it.
"Hey, don't throw around a Holy Grail like it's some kind of worthless breadcrumbs!" Olga yelled, irritated at Emilya's behavior.
"Sure, your welcome," Emilya simply replied as she let herself sink deeper into Tamamo's embrace.
"I swear, the audacity of her," Olga complained.
"Hey now, the little lady did her job pretty well, I say we lay off her back. Oh, looks like it's my turn," Cu sighs, he wanted to hang around a bit longer with these people who pique his interests.
"I see, so you are returning back to the throne. Thank you for everything!" Mashu says with gratitude. Tamamo finally came out of the crater, with Emilya lying/hugging on her tail. Tamamo was surprised at how light she was, though most of the work came from her tail's muscle.
"Aye, don't mention it. I didn't even get a chance to show off thanks to those two. Oh well, I prefer my Noble Phantasm when I was a Lancer anyway. It was just some burning walking wood of disaster, nothing too flashy," Cu dismissed his current Noble Phantasm with a grin and laugh.
"You know, something tells me being a Caster might suit you more than a Lancer, no cursed spear to curse you to a worse fate," Emilya muttered while having a faceful of Tamamo's fluffy tail, which to her delight, gave her a ticklish sensation
"Oi, I heard that!" Cu said before disappearing completely.
...
..
.
"Irritating. Truly irritating. I don't know what miracle she hangs on to but her survival is truly annoying to deal with. The Demi-Servant is dismissable, along with her weak Master. That doctor survivable is also not according to plan, he should have listened and come to the meeting. And most importantly, Olga Marisbury Animusphere. She should have died, at the very least, her body should have died, and yet here she is, whole. Forget it, regretting won't accomplish anything, there is nothing that Chaldeas can do, hehehe!"