« So this is London! Look over there! That huge tower with a clock! This place is really
cool! » Excitedly exclaimed Sunahara Hiro to her friend and colleague Kumahira Yukiko.
The girl, curious, asked him:
« Have you ever been to London? »
« No. I have to tell you, this place is really weird for me. I mean, look: double-decker buses, red telephone boxes and all these people from all over the world! Compared to Kyoto, this place is more lively! More colorful! I don't know if you understand me. »
« I think so. The first time I came here I was only four years old and my father took me to Westminster Abbey. It was there that for the first time my father told me about magic. I don't know why he chose that place or moment to do it but I know that since then my life changed completely. »
Hiro immediately noticed Yukiko's melancholy look and asked her, worried:
« Is everything okay? »
« Don't worry about me, Hiro. You're the one who has to fight this war, not me. »
« Right, sorry. »
Yukiko led Hiro to a luxury hotel. She paid for the room for the two of them and for the Servant. They reached the room using the elevator and, once inside, began to empty their luggage.
The reserved room had a spotless bathroom, a small living room with a high-definition television, a kitchen and a bedroom with a double bed.
Seeing the bed, Hiro asked Yukiko, embarrassed:
« Who will sleep there? »
« You and your Servant. » She answered quickly.
« Okay. But where will you sleep? »
« On the couch, isn't it obvious? »
« Right ... right … »
Yukiko took a tome of at least a thousand pages from one of her bags. The cover was black and full of silver symbols; in the center there was a tree around which there were nine circles. When Hiro saw the book he became curious and tried to open it, but the girl suddenly came to grab his hand and said, smiling:
« This is not yours. You can't read it. »
« Sorry, I was just curious. »
« You must never mind my own business, Sunahara Hiro, are we meant? »
« Okay, sorry, I didn't want to be a nosy guy. »
« Good. »
At that moment Rider appeared. The Servant went to the window, raised the curtains and saw the city skyline of London.
Yukiko sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and began to observe Rider's behavior carefully. Hiro asked Yukiko, intrigued:
« What is she doing there motionless? »
« The Servants do not belong to our time, as you might know. They are heroes of a distant past summoned to fight a war for the sole purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail. Many of them adapt easily to our time, others may take a little longer. Rider, at this moment, is "immunizing", let's say so. She's trying to accept this world a little at a time. It is said that there is a possibility of 0.04% that a Servant goes mad due to a failure to adapt. »
« Okay ... and ... how do I understand that she has adapted? » Asked Hiro, worried.« If she doesn't kill you it means it's all right. »
« Not the answer I expected. »
Rider moved away from the window and headed into the bedroom to look outside the other window. Hiro, puzzled, asked Yukiko:
« How long will this thing go on? »
« I have no idea. » She answered in a playful tone.
« Okay, okay, in the meantime how do we know if there are other Servants or not? »« They've arrived. » Rider answered coming out of the bedroom.
« Excuse me? » Hiro asked, turning to her.
« I said they arrived. I'm perceiving another Servant. Now they are two, now they are three, now four, now … »
« Okay! I understood! We are screwed! Yukiko, what's the plan? »
« You are the Master, this is your war, not mine. »
« Come on! Help me! »
Yukiko sighed and got up from the couch. She grabbed Hiro by the sleeve of his suit and held him up to the window then, with her finger, pointed out that there was a Master out there, under the hotel, that wasn't attacking. The boy, confused, asked:
« Why doesn't he attack us? »« The battles are always nocturnal because they are less likely to cause civilian casualties. He knows we're here but he won't attack us until the sun goes down. Do you understand? »
« Yes. But what should I do in your opinion? »
« Here, I advise you to … »
« One moment! » Exclaimed Rider.
« What's going on, Rider? » Asked Hiro.
« Why do you take advice from this girl? Master, are you sure she's not involved in this war? Are you sure she doesn't want to have the Grail? »
« Come on! Don't be paranoid! Yukiko just wants to help us, doesn't she? »
« You are right not to trust me, Rider. » Yukiko answered, coldly.« What ...? » Hiro was confused and agitated at the same time.
« Nobody can be trusted in this war. Maybe you should also teach it to your Master. »
« Yukiko, what are you saying? »
« I tell the truth, Hiro. I have already told you: this is your war, it is not mine. You can't trust me whenever you want and like it. You are a magus. You are a Master. Assert yourself and experience the battle. Otherwise you will die like the other failed magicians. »
That night, outside the hotel, Hiro Sunahara went in search of the other Master. He was accompanied by Rider and together with her he explored the area around the hotel but with no positive result.
Hiro was attracted to Rider, not only because he was obviously a beautiful girl, but also because he was curious. He had a samurai armor so he had to be a warrior but he didn't know his identity. Nothing of her was familiar to him so, out of curiosity, he asked her:« But what is your name? »
« Rider. »
« Yes ... no ... I, I mean your REAL name. Do you understand? What's your name? »
« I can't tell you this, I'm sorry. »
« Why? »
« The name is for a Servant as a treasure and as a curse. It can say everything: it can say what our weaknesses and our strengths are. Believe me, it is better that the enemy does not come to know my name. »
« But I'm not the enemy. »
« No, it's true, but you're immature. »« Excuse me? » Hiro was offended by that sharp criticism.
« Forgive me, Master, I don't want to be disrespectful but… you have to understand that in my eyes you are still too immature. You depend too much on that girl and totally lack experience. Your magic energy is quite low and so far you have not shown that you have great strategic skills. I'm sorry to have to tell you this but it's true. »
« Of course ... I understand perfectly. »
Hiro felt bad to hear that criticism from his own Servant. He knew he was not the best in the Sunahara family, he was aware of it. He knew his father looked at him like an inept magus, unable to do even the simplest magecraft and knew perfectly well that almost everyone considered his sister, Hisae, a natural talent, a magus worthy of being the spokesperson for the Sunahara family. Hiro wasn't all that. He had no talent, he was not as good as her and he was aware of it and to hear it say in the face even from his Servant demoralized him.
The two warriors exchanged a cold glance. Lancer, pointing his weapon at the opponent, exclaimed:
« You're good enough to be paired with such a weak Master. As you may have guessed, I am Lancer and I am here to take your life. »
« Really? Do you really think you're strong enough to face me, Lancer? You are pathetic! You don't look much like a warrior, let me tell you! »« Do we want to find out? »
Lancer rushed at full speed to Rider and kicked her in the stomach; Rider managed to land on her feet but Lancer suddenly reappeared behind her and immediately tried to stab her with her spear; Rider spun around and parried the various shots with the katana then, with great cunning, she pretended to hit the left forcing Lancer to raise her guard to the right then, quickly, she made a side shot and hit right with a precise slash but Lancer was however able to parry the blow.
The two distanced themselves and Rider asked Hiro:
« Have you noticed too, Master? »
« You took her in full. » He replied.
« Exactly, yet for some reason she managed to parry the blow. »
« Are you surprised, Rider? » Asked Lancer, in a bold tone.
« I don't know how you managed to survive such a blow, but know that it's not the only kind of attack I can do. So get ready, Lancer, because next time you won't be so lucky. »At that time came the Lancer Master: Murakawa Tetsuya. He, with an annoyed grimace, looked around and exclaimed:
« Fighting on the streets of a city is so trivial. It's fortunate that there is no one at the moment, otherwise it would have been trouble. So, are you the Master of Rider? »
« Exactly! I'm Sunahara Hiro! »
« Sunahara? I know that surname. You belong to that family of magi who have never been able to match the Tohsaka, am I right? You don't look like a magus to me, I have to be honest. You have a low amount of mana and to make matters worse you have the face of a brat who has just come out of high school. I'm tired of facing kids who still have diapers. I want a real challenge. »
« Bastard! Do not underestimate me! » Hiro screamed, throwing a powerful shock wave with his hands.
Tetsuya was pushed back a few inches. Hiro was shocked. He was sure his attack was much more powerful than that.Tetsuya, laughing, exclaimed:
« What the fuck is this? The girl's push? Are you fucking with me? »
« What ...? » Hiro was left speechless.
« Let me guess, you had already used this technique with other brats from your school but had had a different effect with them. Did you turn them over? Did you kill them? Did you send them back to their mother's womb? It doesn't matter, because with me that stuff doesn't work. Do you want to know why? Because I, unlike those brats, developed my mana. I'm a real magus,
not just any jerk. »
« No ... it's impossible … » Hiro couldn't believe it.
« It's not impossible, brat. It's true. You are a scarce magus whose power is basically to push people to the ground but without touching them. It's not even telekinesis! The problem is that such Magecraft is devastating for those who are not magi, but for those who are magi ... well, I think you've already figured out where I'm going with this. I don't like repeating myself. »"I can't win this war." Was Hiro's first thought. He was paralyzed with terror. He thought he was at least strong enough to be able to fight against a magus but in reality he was not. In reality he has always been weak and incapable. Shocked by terror, Hiro began to cry.
Tetsuya, seeing his reaction, mocked him:
« Ah! But look at you, brat! Now you crack like a bitch, eh? You don't do the bully anymore,
do you? »
« Shut up … » Hiro replied with a humiliated look
« I didn't hear you right, what the fuck did you say? »« Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Damn asshole! » Hiro screamed, angry and in tears.
Tetsuya stopped laughing and, turning to Lancer, said:
« Ok, it's not fun anymore. I got bored. Kill them. »
« Yes, Master. »
Lancer started the attack but Rider intercepted it. The two exchanged several shots at high speed and initially seemed to be head to head but then Lancer, with an unexpected move, hit Rider with a kick that made her crash into the wall of a house. Rider, stunned, tried to recover as quickly as possible but Lancer was already on the point of inflicting the coup de grace.
« Don't get upset. See your Servant die. »
He turned to Lancer and exclaimed:
« Lancer, finish the job. Let's give a good show to these weaklings. »
« Yes, Master! »
Lancer launched herself at Rider with her spear ready to pierce Rider's heart. Rider was still stunned and was not realizing that her opponent was now within walking distance of her. Rider could only hear Hiro's desperate cries. She looked up and as soon as she saw Lancer she immediately thought to stop the blow but the katana was still on the asphalt.
Lancer was too close by now.
Rider couldn't do anything anymore.
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