Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 113: Finally, the Unbroken Yellow Rose

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The feeling of futile powerlessness erodes Saber's heart, but she remains fearless and continues to wield her sword.

Lancer and Saber are in a stalemate. Whenever Saber swings her sword, Lancer follows up with a spear thrust. If he doesn't do so, the exaggerated regenerative ability of the sea monster will restore it in a matter of seconds.

However, while the yellow rose can suppress the healing of wounds, it cannot suppress the proliferation of the sea monster itself. Similar to the characteristics of primitive organisms, the sea monster can self-replicate from any part of its body. If a tentacle is severed, the sea monster absorbs the cut section and then grows a new body.

Everything is in vain—no, even if it's just a little bit, slowing down the sea monster's footsteps would still be meaningful. But as soon as Saber thinks about the outcome that awaits them shortly, their current actions become nothing more than futile struggles.

If only Mor·alltach (the Wrath of Frenzy) were here, these chunks of flesh would be dispatched with just two sword strikes—

No, sighing over something impossible is meaningless.

Lancer clenches his teeth, dismissing distractions, and his dual spear swings faster and faster. But judging from the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, this kind of assault can't be sustained for much longer. However, the noble-hearted Knight of the Lance won't give up.

"Hey, Saber, Lancer! This will go on forever if we keep going. Let's retreat for now!" Rider's voice comes from the chariot above them, calling out.

"What nonsense are you talking about? If we don't stop it here—"

Several severed tentacle chunks fall from above, creating large splashes of water. The largest chunk has Scáthach standing on it, wielding a longsword.

"A temporary retreat is for a better offense. I agree with Rider's suggestion," she says.

"Do you have a plan, Assassin?" Lancer asks while using the yellow rose to pierce through the flesh chunk under Scáthach's feet—it was trying to split and regenerate.

"I do have an idea—"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Rider forcefully swings the reins, urging the two divine bulls to sprint towards the shore. Before leaving, Rider doesn't forget to leave two thunderbolts to strike the sea monster.

Scáthach raises her left hand, and a whip slices through the air, attaching to the handle of Rider's chariot. With the power of the divine wheels, they slide along the way.

Saber and Lancer exchange a glance and give it their all for one final sword strike and two spear thrusts. Then, they run across the water's surface, following behind Rider, and retreat to the riverbank, where Irisviel is waiting.

Scáthach lands with the divine wheels and walks straight to Irisviel's side, her eyes fixed on the artificial human. She speaks, "Saber's Master, we need your help."

"I-I?" Irisviel instinctively takes a step back, her beautiful red eyes filled with confusion. "Um, what do I need to do—"

"It's simple. I hope you return what originally belonged to Saber back to her," Scáthach interrupts.

"!!!"

Upon hearing Scáthach's words, Irisviel trembles violently, her face displaying an expression of disbelief.

While Irisviel is shocked and panicked, the others are completely confused. Saber asks, "What does that mean, Assassin? Does Irisviel have something to return to me?"

"Yes, it's your Noble Phantasm, the 'bond' between you two," Scáthach points her two fingers at Irisviel's chest. "Your scabbard."

"!!!" This time it's Saber who is shocked. She looks at Scáthach, then turns to Irisviel, muttering, "My... my... scabbard?"

Scáthach lets out a sigh. If possible, she wouldn't want to reveal this here, but to resolve the current situation, retrieving the scabbard for Saber is the best solution, at least better than the other two options she can think of.

"Irisviel..."

Perhaps unable to bear Saber's hopeful gaze, Irisviel grits her teeth and nods.

"Your scabbard is with me. It is sealed within my body in the form of a Conceptual Armament... No, it's nothing. I was just wondering how Assassin found out about it."

Irisviel's husband, Emiya Kiritsugu, had entrusted the scabbard to her to ensure the safety of his wife, who was acting as a proxy Master. He specifically instructed Irisviel not to let Saber know. Irisviel had followed her husband's request, but deep inside her, she felt guilty about it. The scabbard originally belonged to the King of Knights, and their actions of taking it without permission felt like an unauthorized borrowing.

However, only Irisviel and Kiritsugu knew about this matter. How did the others find out?

"I told her. Although the news of the scabbard being unearthed in Cornwall was deliberately hidden by the Einzbern family, unfortunately, the people involved in the excavation and search were not good at keeping their mouths shut."

Shinji, who had returned at an unknown time, answered instead of Scáthach, using a prepared excuse.

"The manifestation of the King of Knights as Saber proved the authenticity of the news, and the fact that Saber's left hand was sealed by Lancer's yellow rose indicates that the scabbard has not returned to Saber's hands. Anyone who has read the legend of King Arthur knows the magical properties of the scabbard—its holder will not be harmed."

The reason for doing this is simple: they didn't want Lancer to destroy his own Noble Phantasm as described in "Fate/Zero."

Saber's trump card is her Noble Phantasm, a devastating power that can destroy the sea demon in a single strike. However, to release the true name of the Noble Phantasm, Saber must use both hands. Currently, Saber's left hand is cursed and sealed, preventing her from releasing the true name of her Noble Phantasm. There are only two ways to lift the curse: killing Lancer or destroying the source of the curse.

Through Kiritsugu Emiya's intentional revelation, Lancer learned about this situation. Being a noble and honorable knight, he broke the cursed yellow rose, which was necessary for the curse's activation, with his own hands. By doing so, he freed Saber's left hand. However, this also meant that Lancer lost the possibility of winning the Holy Grail War, indirectly leading to his tragic fate.

Scáthach didn't want to see her admired warrior end in such a way, so Shinji created a new scenario for her. As a price, Scáthach made a promise to Shinji.

The scenario begins at this moment, while the main character remains unaware and continues to look at King Arthur with a surprised gaze. The protagonist watches as King Arthur approaches Irisviel, takes her hand, and speaks with a voice that seems to permeate his entire being.

"So, Irisviel, you are my scabbard."

The comfortable sensation in his hand permeates Irisviel's heart, and in that moment, she forgets her husband's instructions and all other distractions. Her chest swells with an inexplicable excitement—a heartbeat that signifies not only her heartbeat but also the longing for the return of something precious.

Amidst the golden radiance similar yet different from King Arthur's Excalibur, the scabbard slowly separates from Irisviel's body. The scabbard has a similar color to the holy sword, adorned with cobalt blue enamel decorations. In the center, the long-lost Fairy script is engraved—the very scabbard that King Arthur had lost.

The radiance representing protection reflects on the faces of Saber and Irisviel.

Irisviel holds the scabbard with both hands and hands it over to Saber.

"Saber, bring me victory."

"Yes, I will!"

Saber places her left hand, which lacks strength, on the scabbard and solemnly declares her vow.

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