The Chosen One 17 (Patreon)

"S-seriously, take your hands off me!" Why am I ever here!? Where the hell is here!? Am I inside of the Ryuudou Temple!? Well, there is no way Caster would just let me enter her base of operations, right?

Caster raises an eyebrow. "What has gotten into you?" She snorts. "Don't tell me you got traumatized after that fight! I won't tolerate some pathetic panicking man here." What does that have to do with anything!?

Before I can say anything however, another voice chimes in. "Geez lady, ain't it obvious? Kid's a kid. You're hot. You're touching him. Put the pieces together." I recognize it, it's Lancer!

Caster shrieks, taking her hands off me. "What!? Do teenagers lack brains or something!?" Yes. Though in my defense it's not like you're my type anyways, I was just scared and confused.

I blush, slowly trying to sit up. "I... Ack...!" And I immediately feel pain all over my body as I do so. I guess I'm not completely healed yet, which is immensely annoying.

Now that I have made an alliance with all Servants in the war, besides Assassin, I need to find Gilgamesh and kill him. And also the Shadow of course, but we still don't even know what the hell that thing is.

Lancer, who's leaning against a wall, smiles. "Calm down kid. Fighting is great, but it has its price. Rest well." Should you really be saying that when you're the one who put me in this state on the first place?

I slowly nod. "Right... Though where am I anyways?" I have my suspicions of course, but it would be pretty convenient if somebody confirmed them to me.

Caster takes a deep breath, as a blush in her face disappears. "Ryuudou Temple." As expected. "I took you here to heal you. Be sure to be grateful, brat." I can certainly appreciate not dying.

And I can sort of understand what happened. Caster was probably watching me fight, and therefore she managed to reach me before anyone else. Not to mention that as a Caster she is the most suited for something like healing someone.

I send an awkward smile her way. "Um... Thanks then. I won't forget this anytime soon." Even if I don't know how to feel about being in her debt. "I'm surprised you brought me here though... And that I survived enough to get here." Maybe I got stabbed in a place that wasn't important.

Lancer interjects. "Won't forget it huh? Well, kid you're in luck. From what I've seen her lover is a pretty lame guy, so maybe you can bed her." That's definitely not what I meant! Do you only have sex and fighting on your head!?

Caster glares at him. "Watch your tongue when talking about my Master." Master...? Wait, Lancer talked about a lover just now... Wow. "Honestly how are you the most obnoxious hero I have ever met?" The spearman simply chuckles in response.

She then shakes her head. "Well, nevermind that." Her attention goes back to me. "Boy, you surprised because that spearman kept you stable. He is a master at Runes." For real? That seems pretty busted for a member of the Knight Classes.

It's also something that he didn't use at all in our fight, which is pretty frustrating, in a weird way. I knew he was holding back of course, but I thought he was just limiting his parameters, not his skills as well.

She continues. "And as for why I brought you here... Because of our stupid alliance my mana is not infinite. To heal you I needed to be close to the Ryuudou Temple leyline." Hah, our rules almost got me killed.

With that said... "Were my wounds really so severe that you needed a leyline to heal me?" That seems kind of... pathetic for a Caster. I don't think I was as hurt as when I fought Rider, and Rin managed to heal me.

She point at Lancer. "Blame this idiot over here. His spear is cursed, and one of your lung got pierced by it. I had to basically rebuild the organ from scratch, since it wouldn't heal no matter what." He pierced a lung!?

Back when the fighting was happening, I just assumed that he had missed any and all vital spots, maybe even on purpose, but apparently not! How the hell didn't I die immediately!? I... I must be tougher than I think.

Lancer chuckles. "My bad, my bad. Nonetheless, you did great kid. People who keep fighting like you did after sustaining such gruesome wounds are my favorite type of people." Wow. Wowzer. Thanks.

"Specially when you said that thing to your woman... what was it again? Oh yeah, this much damage is expected of a warrior! I'm stealing that line for a rainy day, by the way." Give my lung back.

My eye twitches. "Cool. I guess you have my permission for that. Anyways, why are you even here?" Caster letting me in here is already a miracle, so I doubt she's okay with this guy hanging around.

He shrugs. "To keep you from being mind controlled. Or turned into a wand. Or tortured. Or raped into submission. Or..." I get it! "Your little... our little alliance all wanted to enter here to keep watch over you, but..."

"Well, that got the witch here all antsy, and she's then only one who could heal you, so she had that card to play. In the end, since I'm sort of a third party, only I entered. I'll take you back to your home too." Emiya's home actually.

I nod. "Got it. Thanks for the help then, I'm really grateful." I know he didn't need to do this, even if we are now technically allies. He is in sort of enemy territory right now after all.

And speaking of sort of enemies... "And thanks again Caster. I will... erm... put this new lung to good use." And I will also try to avoid facing off against any cursed weapons in the future, that's for sure.

She smirks. "You'd better. It took quite a long time for me to put you together... in fact you're not quite there yet." She puts her hands on me again. "I don't quite know why, but there's something I just can't heal..."

"With that said, it is healing naturally. Maybe Lancer's spear left a deeper wound that my magic can heal, but it doesn't matter. Take tomorrow as a break." It is as I feared. I can't immediately go kill Gilgamesh.

A sigh escapes my mouth. "I don't think it's Lancer's fault for this one..." I have an idea, even if it's probably a wrong one. "I probably used my weapons way too much... Or I guess a better way to put it is that I used too many at the same time."

I awakened Boosted Gear in the middle of my fight with Lancer, which meant that I used four Longinus for a decent chunk of time. The only other time I have done that, was back when I almost activated Juggernaut Drive, but even then, I dismissed a few Longinus before that.

Caster nods. "If you say so... Let me just do one final check up." She doesn't remove her hands, well this time I won't complain. It's pretty clear that she's just using magic.

But it seems I have peaked Lancer's curiosity. "What are these weapons anyways? There's no way a modern human should have managed to get his hands on so many weapons that surpass my spear in quality."

Heh, my Longinus are better than a Noble Phantasm. "As strange as it to say, a bird showed up one day and gave them to me. He also... gave me a mission, but that's a pretty complicated story." One which I don't want to think about right now.

Lancer grins. "I see. Sounds like the beginning of a hero's tale for me, pretty awesome." I was definitely excited at the time, now though? I wish the bird had appeared sooner, given me more time.

Caster rolls her eyes. "What's awesome about some strange creature forcing such a burden on a boy? He's not even going to his school for this anymore." That's... a surprising thing to hear from a woman who was putting men on comas some time ago.

It actually makes me a bit curious about her, and to satisfy that curiosity, I fail to control my mouth. "Hey Caster, what is your wish for the Holy Grail, if you don't mind me asking?" I kind of want to ask all Servants this question, to be honest.

She raises an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know? Are you trying to figure out my true name, boy?" Ah, I guess it sort of came out that way, didn't it?

I shake my head. "N-no. It's just something I'm curious about. I've asked Rider and Saber before too..." I move my gaze towards Lancer. "A-and I'm curious about your wish too!" Admittedly I'm more curious about hers.

What pushes a person to put people into a coma? Now, I understand that some people just don't care about the lives of others, but it's hard to think that of her when she saved me. Which is idiotic of course, since she only saved me due to our alliance.

Thankfully Lancer answers, at least. "I don't really have any big wish. I just wanna fight and have fun... I wanna win the Grail, 'cause any good competition has a prize, but I don't care much for it." That's... surprising.

I used to think a Servant needed a wish to be summoned, but Lancer doesn't truly have one, and now that I think about it neither does Rider. Saber is the one exception... Why would the Grail summon Heroic Spirits who don't care about it?

Still, about his wish... "I see. I'm not really a guy who enjoys fighting." No matter what Lycaon says. "But I understand why someone that does would be excited over the Holy Grail War." I don't even know what I'm saying.

And Caster catches on that. "Who are you to judge someone's wish?" Yeah, I shouldn't do that, just like I shouldn't have judged Saber's. The only person I didn't make any comment about was Rider's...

Nonetheless, Caster takes a deep breath. "Well, whatever. My wish is..." Her body shivers. "I want to go home." And then she goes completely still, as if waiting for the judgment she previously criticized.

Going home huh? What does that even entail for a Heroic Spirit? Does she just desire to be teleported to her home country and live there? Does she want to go back in time and redo her life? Either way...

"Ah, I get you." I also desperately wanted to go home once. "Good luck, Caster." I'm a hypocrite. Even though I judged Saber for trying to change the past, here I can't do that at all.

Not because I want the same, in fact I don't. The truth is that she sounded so sad right now that I ended up pitying her. Saber who is always so strong simply didn't make me feel the same way.

The door suddenly opens. "Caster, it is getting late." A man enters without any hesitation at all. "I would like to retire for the night." Not just any man at that, it's... it's... my goddamn teacher!?

Caster gasps. "M-Master I t-told you to stay outside! Revealing your identity to another Master... No, revealing your identity to an enemy could have disastrous consequences!" So you're telling me he is your Master!? I'm so shocked I can't even speak...

My teacher sighs. "I understand that, and as previously said, I shall let you steer this... war whichever way you may like. However, it is late, and this is my room, I need to rest. I shall not let the war impact my daily schedule." He speaks almost as if a robot.

And then he looks down to where Caster's hands are. "And also... Daichi Ryouta is a first year high-schooler. As his teacher, it's my obligation to step in, and say that any elicit relations between the two of you would be heavily frowned upon."

Caster jumps... and then stays in the air, as she is floating right now. "Master...! This isn't what it looks like, I was just-!" He cuts her off.

"No, my apologies Caster. He is no normal student after all, seeing as he is involved with the war... Feel free to do whatever you want with him." The witch can only sputter as she weakly tries to defend herself.

Lancer snorts. "Wow, what a witch. You were touching the kid after you kicked out your lover from his own room!? You're the type of woman my master always warned me about." Why are you trying to make this worse!?

She points a open pal towards him. "I will evaporate you Lancer! No trace of you will be left!" I think she actually means it too, considering some purple glow is coming out of that hand.

Still, that actually sort of breaks me from my shock. "Kuzuki-Sensei!? You're a Master!?" And I say sort of because I have gone from speechless to screaming.

He nods. "Indeed I am. Are you feeling well enough to leave, Ryouta?" You're not gonna elaborate!?

There's no way I could be satisfied with just a confirmation! "H-hey, I didn't think you were a magus! How did you even summon Caster!?" Is he another magus that Rin doesn't know about, like Emiya-Senpai?

Yet again he shows no feelings as he responds. "I am not a magus. And I did not summon Caster. I met her in this temple, and we made a contract." That's... a lot of information.

Wait, I just realized something... Is Caster's reliance on magical power that comes from other sources a consequence of Kuzuki being a normal person? There's no way someone without proper training can supply a Servant after all.

Caster snaps off her anger, and glares at me. "Boy, stop questioning my Master, before I reconsider our alliance." Right, I should stop looking like a spy whose desperate for any information.

I grimace. "My bad... still..." I don't even know what to say. "Sensei, why are you even getting involved with the Holy Grail War?" I guess a normal person could have many wishes. I'm worried he doesn't know what he's getting into though.

He shrugs. "Because Caster has asked that of me." Huh? "And as previously said, I'm not truly involved in it's affairs... Though should Caster ever need my assistance I will not mind helping her." This guy...

Is a complete idiot! "S-sensei... This isn't the kind of thing that you can't just ignore! I mean, legendary heroes are fighting for a wish! And at anytime one of them could target you!" This must be happening because he is even more normal than me.

Caster's glare returns. "Boy, are you trying to make my Master give up on the war? I'm beginning to regret healing you more and more." Shit, if this keeps up Lancer will need to save me.

But it can't be helped. "Who cares about that? Can't you see your Master is completely clueless!? He could get hurt!" And I did say I wouldn't let her hurt innocents. That applies to my own teacher, of course!

Lancer interjects. "Kid... I get what you're saying, but you need to hone your intuition." Huh? "That guy over there may be a... normal person, but he's a monster in his own way. That body ain't normal."

"It's actually freaky, how someone without an aura can just walk around... Shame he's so boring though. I guess sometimes talent ends up being wasted." Someone without an aura?

I tilt my head. "I don't get what you're saying at all. Kuzuki-Sensei is my teacher... he's..." I wanted to say nothing special, but that wouldn't be fair. "Not someone ready for combat."

Kuzuki frowns. "How strange, such statement actually bothered me." I look back at him with a raises eyebrow. "The truth is that I'm a trained killer, though in a way you could say I'm retired." My jaw hits the floor.

"Now to return to previous topics... Have you rested enough? I wish to retire for the night."



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"My... I see that you're not a bloody mess anymore." As soon as we reach the temple gates we are greeted by Assassin. I awkwardly wave at him with a smile, my mind is still a mess.

Caster waves him off. "We have no time for you right now Assassin. I want this boy out of here as fast as possible, so I'll be taking him home." Um... In the end I left before figuring out who his Master is.

Kuzuki is a normal... a normal-ish person though, so that makes me question whether Assassin's Master is one too. With that said, there is nothing stopping Kuzuki from making an alliance with a magus of course.

Honestly, I still can't believe it's him. I was more suspicious of Issei and his brother, and even then I would have been shocked if they were her Master... I guess Holy Grail Wars really are unpredictable.

Assassin nods. "Of course, my apologies. I simply wanted to wish him goodbye... However, I must say that it's most curious that you will be personally guarding him on his way back home. It seems unlike you."

Caster rolls her eyes. "He was my guest. As such it is my duty, and honor to make sure he is taken care off, and that his safety is guaranteed." I can't deny that she's been pretty nice.

She even made me something to eat believe it or not... I would like to say her generous hospitality is a clue to her true identity, but I think something like this was pretty common around a bunch of cultures. Maybe it was more prevalent among the Greeks...? Welp, I'll keep it in mind.

Lancer smiles. "Even a witch can have her own code huh...?" His smile slowly turns into a grin. "Anyways, see ya Assassin. Next time we fight I won't simply back off." Right, these two have fought before.

Assassin nods. "I will be looking forward to it." Even if Lancer is strong, his spear is broken, so who knows how that fight will go. "May you three be safe on your path." And like that we begin descending down the steps.

But before we get too far away, I turn around. "Um... hey, Assassin, can I ask you something?" I chose to ignore Caster's groan of annoyance. At least Lancer isn't complaining.

He nods. "Of course. There's nothing much I care about to hide, since you know my identity." Well, Lancer probably doesn't know, but if you don't care about that, then it's fine, I guess.

I scratch my cheek. "Thanks... Still feel free to ignore this question if you think it's too personal. What's your wish for the Grail?" I have already asked four Servants, so I might as well continue.

He becomes silent for a moment, closing his eyes. "My wish... is for a battle worthy of a legend. One where only a true hero could emerge victorious." That's kind of a similar wish to Lancer.

Though it's clear he sees this differently from how Lancer saw it. "I see, then I wish you good luck in achieving that." Did his battle with Miyamoto Musashi not satisfy him? I guess the legendary swordsman did cheat to win...

Also, if he wants this super cool battle, why didn't he join us? I guess maybe it was just his Master's decision. And there's also the fact that perhaps he wants a simple fight, one warrior versus one warrior.

He opens his eyes. "Thank you. And who knows, perhaps the one to fulfill my wish will be you." It's nice to hear that, but I'm so far behind a Servant that it feels impossible.

"That would certainly be nice. See ya." Even if I don't believe it will happen, there's no need to reject his compliment, so I accept it and go my way.

Going down the Ryuudou Mountain at night is certainly a different experience from going up during the day. It feels almost creepy, and the fact that eventually snow starts to fall doesn't help any. It almost feels like the start of a horror movie.

Caster suddenly stops my train of thought. "Boy, why do you keep asking Servants what their wishes are? It doesn't really matter, does it?" That's a pretty tough question.

I take sometime before I respond. "Curiosity, I guess. Why do people ask anything out of other people anyways?" And then I think some more. "And also because... I want to understand what drives a hero."

She nods. "I see. Well, you're wasting your time." I had a feeling she would say that. "Servants have finished their journey. That is to say, the thing that drove them to be heroes no longer matter."

"Heroic Spirits can't go grow or change, their journeys are over. That's why wishes for us are just regrets and nothing else." You regret never coming back home? Whatever that means?

And heroes not being able to grow or change huh? Is that really the case...? If it is, then my talk with Saber was worthless... To be honest I don't want to believe that. Besides, if Caster went back home, wouldn't she change? Maybe that's...

Suddenly Lancer who was quiet until now, stops walking. "Witch, give me support." The broken halves of his spear appear on his hands. He won't hesitate to fight even with a destroyed weapon. And as for what he has sighted...

Down the stairs, a living shadow awaits.



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AN: Hag sex.