Chapter 496: Red and Black Showdow - The Advancing Sieg (Bonus) (Patreon)

Undoubtedly, this was not what Rider wanted Sieg to do. That pure and natural knight only wished for Sieg to live peacefully without battles. Sieg himself was fond of such a life. However, he had no choice but to abandon the hard-won tranquility.

Because he indeed heard the wish to be saved from 'someone'.

—Please save me.

He couldn't ignore this fact and flee alone.

He wanted to save his companions, who were soaked in decaying fluids, living in constant fear, awaiting death. To save the homunculi who wanted to cry for help but couldn't even make a sound, and those who never thought they could be saved and lived only to walk towards death.

Indeed, death as a certain future is common to all things. But if one is also prohibited from doing anything in the process leading to death, it would be utterly unreasonable and sad.

Just as he was saved by Rider, he too wanted to save them.

In that way, even if he reunites with Rider, he could do so with a clear conscience. Even if he meets Archer again, he can tell him he found his goal. Even if he encounters Assassin, he could show him that this was his decision.

He could proudly tell every hero who had helped him that he had helped those seeking freedom.

To him, it was like an invisible chain. The homunculus, who had been favored by the goddess of luck many times, fully understood the joy of someone grasping his hand for help—a feeling that perhaps other homunculi would never experience in their lifetime.

A strange sense of guilt filled his entire being. Though it was unavoidable, with a sense of mission to "somehow change the current situation," the homunculus(Sieg) followed his heart and stepped onto the battlefield.

Then, he discovered the immense gap between ideals and reality.

Not to mention saving his companions, it was extremely difficult just to protect himself.

Dragon Tooth Warriors were everywhere. Though they were mere small fry that Servants could swat away with a wave of a hand, to him, they were opponents that he had to deal with carefully, one by one.

His mind was highly focused, his brain started operating at high speed.

First, he needed a weapon.

Fortunately, this was a battlefield, and weapons were everywhere.

He picked up a one-handed sword, likely the weapon of a fallen homunculus. Since it was equipment produced for homunculus soldiers, it felt comfortable in his hand.

Next—

His eyes scanned the area, spotting two companions surrounded and in a precarious situation not far away.

Save them.

As a fledgling, he didn't understand long-term or big-picture thinking. He only acted on what he saw in front of him, knowing he didn't want his companions to die there.

Dragon Tooth Warriors were skeletal monsters, and stabbing had little effect, so he lunged forward, crashing into them with his whole body. In close contact, he quickly severed their waists. The Dragon Tooth Warrior collapsed instantly. Then he cut off the arm of another Dragon Tooth Warrior that had reached out nearby and placed his hand lightly on its body.

"Straße/geh."

Activating his magic circuits—investigating, analyzing, synchronizing with the touched material—and then completely reversing it, weaving the logic necessary for destruction.

In an instant, the magical energy released from Sieg's palm transformed into a state most suitable for shattering the bones of the Dragon Tooth Warriors. Sieg's magecraft required direct contact for analysis, meaning its effective range was virtually zero. However, its destructive power was immense.

The Dragon Tooth Warrior was crushed to pieces.

Using the same method, Sieg destroyed the surrounding Dragon Tooth Warriors. As he calmed his rapid breathing caused by the intense exertion, he naturally tore off pieces of his clothing to bandage his injured comrades. Despite having only seen Archer do it once, he mimicked the action effortlessly.

"Are you alright?"

"Why... are you here?"

The injured homunculus asked expressionlessly. She was a female homunculus who had seen Sieg escape on the night he fled but did nothing then.

"I couldn't abandon you. Even if I'm alone, I want to save you," Sieg said with a focused expression, reminiscent of how Rider looked at him.

"Didn't you escape?"

The rescued homunculus's indifferent face showed a slight hint of agitation.

Another homunculus said, "Being thrown into war, to be expended—that is what we homunculi are. We were created to fight in this battle."

"But we weren't created to die, right?"

Sieg countered.

"If you want to die, I won't stop you. But if you still want to live, then hurry back. Once you return, help rescue our comrades. Whether they're being drained of magical energy or anything else, you are beings not bound by anything."

"But—doing that would go against orders."

"Indeed, our orders are to defeat the Servants and their followers."

"Those orders are impossible to fulfill, and you know that. Moreover, why do we have to obey such orders?"

Hearing Sieg's argument, the two homunculi exchanged glances again. A Dragon Tooth Warrior, as if to interrupt their conversation, swung its sword at Sieg.

Sieg swiftly grasped his weapon and slashed upward from his lower side to its neck. The homunculi coordinated with his attack, smashing the Dragon Tooth Warrior's skull and feet with battle axes.

"To die or to live... we must choose between the two."

This was the final notice. One of the homunculi agreed to his plea and returned to the fortress. The other said, "Even so, I must follow orders," and returned to the battlefield.

That's enough, Sieg thought. As long as there's a choice, the homunculi must make one. Their thought circuits weren't so clouded that they couldn't understand such logic.

Though they were born as slaves, the idea of rebellion never crossed their minds. However, if given the chance to choose, it was a different matter.

From then on, every homunculus Sieg encountered was given the same choice. The results were the same as with the first two: half chose to continue fighting, and half chose to return to the castle.

For this, Sieg bore no responsibility—or rather, he couldn't bear it. He simply provided the choice; the consequences were up to those who made it.

Thus, Sieg continued to save his comrades while advancing deeper into the battlefield.

As he moved forward, he carefully analyzed the battlefield's situation. The areas where the clash of magical energies was particularly intense were the battlegrounds of the Servants—a place he cautiously avoided until he sensed a certain magical energy.

This magical energy wasn't particularly strong, but its unique, clear aura, like the wind, was something he could never forget—it was the emblem of the phantom beast Hippogriff that had carried him out of danger, and its master was none other than Black Rider Astolfo.

An indescribable feeling filled his heart, infusing his battle-weary body with a new surge of energy.

A clearer, stronger desire naturally surfaced in his mind—he's here, I want to see him, now, immediately!