[Altair Miller]
The man with blue hair crossed his arms over his chest.
"Caster!?" Ritsuka shouted, raising her hand and pointing at him with her finger.
Neither she nor I expected to see our old friend Caster again, who was fond of his cursed spear.
Caster's red eyes landed on us, glowing with a strange light.
"Hey, I remember you guys… wait, I actually remember you!" He blinked, staring at us with a strange expression as if something that wasn't supposed to happen was happening right before his eyes.
Ignoring his confusion, I stepped forward.
"Yo, man." I raised my hand, giving a slight smile to the Son of Light.
"Brat, didn't I tell you to summon me as Lancer next time?" He raised his arm, pointing at us with indignation in his voice.
I gave an ironic smile. This guy really is a fan of Gáe Bolg.
Well, if I had a cursed spear that always struck the opponent's heart with a fatal blow, I'd be upset about losing it too.
While thinking about that, I heard the laughter of our red-haired mage echoing through the hall.
"Hehehe! My bad." Ritsuka scratched her head, raising her arm with a relaxed smile.
"It's fine! It's fine! Some things are unavoidable." Cu Chulainn sighed, lowering his hands with a resigned gesture. There wasn't much he could do besides accept the fact that this was his class.
"Wow, you complain a lot." Nobunaga raised her head, staring at him with blood-red eyes, clearly finding the blue-haired Servant rather annoying.
"Give me a break. You'd understand if you saw my beautiful spear." He smiled wistfully, making Nobunaga roll her eyes. "But it's strange that I remember you…" Cu Chulainn still seemed quite confused about that fact.
"Hmm… Aren't you supposed to?" Ritsuka asked curiously, looking at their old friend from the singularity.
"Servants usually forget everything between summons." Nobunaga shrugged beside me.
"The lady is right, but not all Masters are as impressive as you two." He winked his right eye at us.
"Fufufu! Obviously." Ritsuka put her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with pride.
"Senpai, too much pride isn't good," Mash warned Ritsuka with a serious expression.
"Mash, we have to enjoy compliments once in a while." The redhead rubbed Mash's pink hair with a happy smile.
"If Senpai says so…" Mash lowered her head, slightly embarrassed.
The two of them are really cute—they have the power to purify people's hearts, I thought, looking at them with affection.
"Well, that was adorable." Da Vinci clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "But about you remembering, I think I can explain." A faint glow passed through Da Vinci's eyes.
"Oh!" Caster's red eyes turned to her. "It's a pleasure, fair lady. I am Cu Chulainn, the Son of Light." He gave a courteous bow.
"She used to be a man." Romani pointed at Da Vinci with his thumb. "Total false advertising, buddy. Deep down, they're a pervert." Romani said seriously.
Cu Chulainn's eyes widened, shifting between Da Vinci and Romani. He opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to utter a single word after that revelation.
I let out a sigh. "Dr. Romani, I don't think you should reveal secrets that aren't yours. If she's comfortable with herself, who are we to interfere?" I said with a shrug.
With my words echoing through the hall, a heavy silence fell. Romani looked at me, blinking.
Hmm… Maybe I said too much. Not that I care.
"Mwhaaaaaaaa! You're the funniest guy ever, my retainer!" Nobunaga laughed, nudging me with her elbow.
I tilted my head, not really understanding why she was so amused. Before I could process it, a hand landed on my head.
Hmm!?
"You're a good boy. I almost want to steal you to be my student." Da Vinci ruffled my hair, smiling. "But you're right. I chose this form and I don't regret it one bit." She kept messing up my hair while smiling warmly.
"Hey! Why do I look like the villain now?" Romani pouted, looking away.
"Well, you are," Ritsuka added fuel to the fire, just for fun.
Meanwhile, Cu Chulainn watched the commotion with a light smile.
"You're all pretty lively." He gave us a wide smile. "But, lady, you still haven't explained why I remember them." Cu Chulainn pointed at Da Vinci, who gently removed her hand from my head and turned her gaze to him.
"It's simple. It's likely a feature of the summoning system. Servants summoned by the FATE system may retain most or even all memories from previous summons, including memories of past Holy Grail Wars." Da Vinci explained with a serene smile.
"I see." Cu Chulainn rubbed an imaginary beard on his chin. "But, by the way, why am I getting so little magical energy from the Master? It's a miracle I'm even walking around with so little." He looked at his hands, curious.
"Servants summoned receive all the magical energy they need from the summoning system. While within the boundaries of Chaldea, they can remain materialized for virtually unlimited periods without noticeable energy drain. Of course, a contract with the Master is still necessary." Da Vinci shrugged.
"Man, you guys thought of everything." Cu Chulainn rested his chin on his staff.
I couldn't help but nod in agreement. The FATE system was truly impressive.
While resting his chin on the staff, his eyes turned to Olga. He frowned instantly.
"My memory might be playing tricks on me, but weren't you human?" He squinted at her. "Why do you give me the same vibe as this guy?" He pointed at me.
Olga just crossed her arms and huffed, without answering.
"A difficult lady." Cu Chulainn smiled and turned his eyes to me as if seeking an answer.
"To sum it up, in the singularity, she didn't have a physical body. When the singularity ended, she would've disappeared. So, I used one of my clones' bodies as a vessel for her soul… Ah! There was also a traitor at the end of the singularity… Hmm, I think I'm not forgetting anything… Well, it's no longer important. My arm got destroyed on a molecular level… a good life experience." I said, shrugging.
Leaving aside the part about my arm, I still needed to figure out her body's limits. At a glance, she seems to be on the same level as my clone, but with no combat experience.
Making a mental note to check the pros and cons of her new body, I looked up at Cu Chulainn, who had his jaw dropped from my explanation.
"Seems like you've been through some… intense stuff. I don't even know what to say." He scratched his head. "Well, at least you're alive."
"That's already a good start." Ritsuka crossed her arms, nodding in agreement.
Considering our previous adventure, where we faced a corrupted version of King Arthur, that seemed fair.
"Hahaha!" Cu Chulainn laughed and turned to Ritsuka. "You're still as spirited as ever, Master."
"One of my best qualities." She placed her hand on her chin, smiling, while Mash sighed and shook her head with a small smile on her lips.
"So, are we summoning another Servant now?" Mash asked curiously.
"Of course. That Irishman just needs to step out of the summoning circle, and the next one will be summoned automatically, using your last 3 Saint Quartz." Olga cast an unpleasant look at the Caster standing on the summoning circle.
"Oops! Sorry, lady." Cu Chulainn stepped forward, moving to Ritsuka's left side, while Mash stood on her right.
Almost instantly after he stepped out of the summoning system, the circle of orbs spun at Ritsuka's feet, forming a ring of light. Within seconds, a burst of mana rose from the circle, shooting through the hole in the ceiling.
This time, for a few moments, the orbs turned golden before the blue geyser abruptly shifted into a dark violet.
Our eyes widened in surprise. Then, from the dissipating violet geyser, a voice echoed.
"I have come as summoned." A cold, authoritative voice filled the hall. "I am Saber, Artoria Pendragon." She stepped forward. "Are you the one who will be my Master?"
••• ••• •••
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