Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Trapped

Semiramis glued herself to the wall and concealed her breath with ‘Presence Concealment.’

‘Why are they still here?’

“Semi, what happened?” Haruki asked. “Where are you now?”

She could hear the footsteps shaking the ground; they were coming closer.

“My master, I was found by Berserker’s master. I’m stuck in a building now.”

Berserker’s master had spread a net of magic familiars inside Shirou’s house. She walked right into it, alerting them of her presence. It forced her to flee without a thought. Thanks to the head start, she narrowly escaped death. But Berserker was like a dog—charging in her direction as though he could smell where she was.

She had to change course from Ryuudou Temple and hide in a nearby building. After all, her agility was D-Rank; a far cry from Berserker’s A-rank agility.

‘Thank goodness he is under Mad Enhancement.’

Although the skill increased all parameters, the downside of losing sanity left him at a disadvantage in this field. Her ‘Presence Concealment’ would be useless in front of a sane Heracles. Her C-Rank skill was suited for spying, not suitable for hiding from that kind of monster. A demented demigod was still a demigod. She had a feeling she would be caught if she moved an inch.

“My master?” she called Haruki who seemed to have turned a blind eye to her plea. “Can you send Medea to rescue me?”

“I was just asking her that… she doesn’t have magical energy after creating my Mystic Code,“ Haruki said with a sigh. ”I’ll use a command spell to bring you back. It’s not the time to face Berserker and her master.”

“No, don’t waste it like this.”

A Command Spell could single-handedly turn the tide of the battle.

“Then what do you suggest I should do?”

Even if he successfully summoned Artoria, she wasn’t suited for this task. She could do nothing other than charging straight at the enemy with ‘honor’ and ‘chivalry.’

Semiramis took a long breath. “I will stay out here. They won’t be able to find me as long as I move around in the shadows. They won’t be so free to chase me forever.”

“Are you sure?” Haruki said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I have six Command Spells as of now.”

As tempting as his offer may be, she refused it nonetheless. She was vexed that Berserker's Master laid a perfect trap even though the boy was missing for a few hours at best.

‘He carried Avalon in his body… Berserker’s master is ready to kill me, a servant, for him… Who the hell is that boy?!’

She gritted her teeth, swearing to poison Berserker’s Master once she defeated that monster of a servant. She exited the building and slipped into the darkness of the night. Her doves showed her the path.

***

“This is messed up,” Haruki said with a sigh. Should he still proceed to kill Zouken Matou with just the three of them?

‘I have to free Sakura.’

Artoria should be enough to take down Zouken, but he needed Medea’s ability to lock him down. There was only one chance. If Zouken escapes, he will recreate his body from worms and lurk in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.

‘He won’t get any.’

He wasn’t going to let Zouken become his Sword of Damocles. He glanced at his wristwatch. Four hours were left until midnight. If Semiramis didn’t return by then, he would attack the Matou mansion with Artoria and Medea. Besides, Medea needed time to replenish her magical energy. If she can't do it in time, he will let her choose between his blood or his sperm. He preferred the latter after Semiramis took a bite out of him.

“Master, what is my order?” Artoria asked, sensing the serious air around Haruki. Hearing a young woman calling him ‘Master’ in a polite yet gentle voice hit him with an odd feeling. It wasn’t the case with Semiramis and Medea as they both had a mature aura around them.

‘It feels… forbidden.’

“I should have sent you to a world where slavery is illegal,” Arch said, her voice sharp.

‘I’d have become a slave trader. That’s for sure.’

“…”

Haruki smiled at Artoria. “Make yourself comfortable here. We’ll be going out later.”

“Are we going to fight a servant?”

He shook his head. “Yes and no.”

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Haruki gave a brief on Sakura and Rider’s situation as well as Zouken’s cruel actions toward Sakura.

Artoria frowned. “To violate a young girl in the name of training, that mage is utterly evil.”

She had seen how disgusting and dishonorable a mage could be. This, however, was on a different level.

“He is, and I plan to end his evil reign,” he said. “I need your strength to save her.”

“To aid my master, it is my duty as a knight and a servant.”

“Oh. By the way, didn’t you also go through crazy training when you were young?”

Quite ironic for her to defend Sakura when she had been in Sakura’s position before. Well, she was blessed compared to Sakura’s training.

“…I had the responsibilities of the crown. She does not. From your words, it seems the old mage never gave a choice to the girl.”

‘The crown, huh.’

Haruki inwardly scoffed and tossed Avalon at her. Avalon was trash for him. For Artoria, however, it was a Noble Phantasm that provided absolute defense as well as boosted her regeneration to cheat-level.

Artoria instinctively caught Avalon and her eyes widened. The cold scabbard made her nostalgic. This Avalon was the real deal, not a cheap copy.

‘This—this is unbelievable.’

To think she’d see Avalon after it was stolen back when she was still a king.

“Thank you, Master. With Avalon, our victory is all but guaranteed.”

She could deal with the King of Heroes with Avalon in her hand. In the last war, Kiritsugu had ordered her to destroy the Holy Grail with two command spells instead of letting her fight Gilgamesh. Even with her magic resistance, she couldn’t resist the compulsion of two command spells.

“I like that confidence,” Medea remarked with a smirk that said otherwise.

‘Master will get charmed by this queen if I dally too long… I must make my move.’

As she opened her mouth, Haruki turned to the clock and sighed.

“I need to go. Sakura and Rin are waiting.”

“…Understood.”

The long pause in her answer raised a suspicion.

“What’s the matter?” he asked with a frown.

‘Does she want to talk about refilling magical energy?’

She dodged his eyes as though she was hiding something. “Nothing, Master.”

“Saber, can you protect this temple in my absence?”

“I shall. You need not worry.”

Her polite words prompted a sigh from Haruki.

“Caster, rest and try to recover some magical energy.” He leaned and pecked her lips. “I’ll help you after I return.”

Caught off guard by the kiss, Medea stared in shock. Only after Haruki exited the room, did she process what happened and her cheeks grew hot.

‘It’s just a kiss. Nothing to be embarrassed about.’

His feelings were more important right now. Did he really wish for a relationship, despite knowing what she did in the past? Despite having forbidden feelings for his mother?

Medea wished she could peer into his heart and find the answer.

Meanwhile, Artoria tilted her head, wondering about the relationship between them.