Chapter 497: Red and Black Showdow - Reunion (Patreon)

Perhaps Sieg is truly favored by the goddess of fortune. Despite his destination being the most dangerous place on the battlefield, a dueling ground where multiple Servants clash, he somehow survives. Even the slightest aftermath could obliterate this frail homunculus, leaving no trace. A few more Dragon Tooth Warriors could easily tear him to pieces, yet he only suffers minor injuries.

The Dragon Tooth Warriors surrounding him never exceed three at a time, and Sieg, having found his knack, manages to handle them without too much difficulty.

The magic storms triggered by collisions between top-tier Servants also do not reach his direction. Even Spartacus, who rampages, shattering and crushing countless golems, homunculi, and Dragon Tooth Warriors, does not cross his path.

Thus, the fortunate homunculus traverses more than half the battlefield—not smoothly, but without facing any critical danger.

During this journey, he hears Spartacus's terrifying roars several times and witnesses the beams of destruction emanating from the airborne courtyard.

His brain, his nerves, his sixth sense, and his survival instincts all tell him not to proceed further—that it's dangerous ahead. Yet, his increasingly fervent emotions drive his legs forward, step by step.

He wants to see him.

He really wants to see him.

He truly desires it.

There is no clear motive like wanting to save a companion, nor a clear drive like wishing to survive.

It’s as if he’s been infected by the one who first extended a helping hand to him, completely abandoning rationality, advancing into the most dangerous part of the battlefield driven purely by impulse.

Why seek him out? Why look for him? These questions never cross his mind.

Ignorant, foolish, arrogant—no matter how many words are used, they cannot describe how unreasonable he is. The first action he chooses after gaining freedom is this; Black Rider would surely sigh at this.

Even so, his heart is nearly driven mad by his thoughts, propelling him forward. He always wants to do something, unable to forget, and lacking the resolve to live a peaceful daily life.

Compared to that dreamlike world, he has something more important, something far more crucial—he wants to meet the Black Rider and repay his kindness.

Even if he can't be of any help, it doesn't matter. Even knowing that Rider might sigh, never having expected him to do this—he still makes this choice.

Yes, having made this choice, he cannot turn back. That would be the worst thing to do.

He takes a deep breath—terrified. Previously, when he was nearly killed, he felt no fear. But the thought of losing what he has now fills him with immense dread.

However, this fear is ultimately overwhelmed by the emotions spreading and growing wildly within him.

His teeth chatter.

His hands and feet grow cold.

He has to clench his teeth and tightly grip his freezing hands.

When he feels as if he is losing all warmth, a sudden gust from the sky knocks him to the ground. His whole body aches, as if his bones might shatter. Yet, he shows no sign of pain, instead beaming with joy.

This is not because he has awakened some hidden trait, nor because a certain gladiator who revels in pain has bestowed some gift upon him, but because the one responsible for this gust is the very person he wants to see, and he appears right before his eyes.

He wanted to shout, but the air currents were too strong, preventing him from opening his mouth. He could only wave his hands vigorously, hoping that person would notice him.

His efforts were not in vain. The knight, who had fallen in an extremely awkward posture, shook his head while muttering, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch," and, "I didn’t expect Assassin to have such a cool partner. I have to borrow him for a ride next time."

He then climbed back onto his hippogriff.

As his gaze wandered, their eyes met.

One pair of eyes radiated pure joy, an intense emotion that was almost overflowing.

The other pair showed a moment of confusion, quickly followed by puzzlement and shock, and finally, clear anger.

"Hey, you—what are you doing here?"

"I—"

Sieg opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.

By now, the air pressure stirred up by the hippogriff's fall had dissipated. Sieg couldn't speak because he had too much to say, and too many emotions to express. Everything was piled up, blocking his throat, leaving him at a loss for words.

Seeing Sieg's silence, Astolfo's dissatisfaction grew even more:

"Talk! Are you dumb? (You have the right to call someone else dumb?)"

"S-sorry, Rider."

Sieg instinctively began to apologize. He felt clumsy and ignorant; Astolfo's anger must be his fault.

Unexpectedly, this attitude drove Astolfo even crazier.

"Ah—mo~ Who cares about apologies! Why did you come here? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"I... I know..."

Sieg stammered, "I... I... just wanted to see you. I don't even know why... Is that not okay?"

As he spoke, Sieg kept looking at Astolfo, pouring all his feelings into his gaze—joy, gratitude, relief, and dependence.

Astolfo lost his rationality, replaced by stronger emotions. Faced with Sieg's dependence, no matter how much he was displeased, he couldn't vent it.

"You... you... ahhhhh, by doing this, you’re making Archer's, Assassin's, and my efforts all for nothing!"

Thinking of this, Astolfo felt a wave of helplessness.

"S-sorry, but I want to help you."

"I didn't save you so you could help me. We just wanted you to stay away from here and have a different life."

"I... I also want to help my companions, those homunculi like me... Did I do something wrong again?"

Sieg's shining eyes gradually dimmed. Seeing this, Astolfo sighed, "No, you did the right thing this time. Did you manage to save your companions?"

"Yeah, about half of them returned to the castle and are no longer fighting."

"Hey~ that's pretty good. At this point in the war, there's no place for homunculi. And Red Berserker is about to explode—oh no!"

"What’s wrong?"

As they spoke, Astolfo looked up at the sky. The mass caught between the pure white comet and the purple torrent was now barely visible to the naked eye, but the violent magic within it was growing stronger, surpassing the combined power of the Pegasus and the magic cannon, and was ready to explode at any moment.

"No time to explain, hurry up, or it’ll be too late."

"Ah, okay."

Sieg quickly scrambled up from the ground and staggered onto the hippogriff.

"Please, hang in there, Hippogriff! It’s all up to your power now!"

The hippogriff let out a mighty cry. A few seconds later, the destructive power erupted, rampaging wildly.

At the same time, the forms of the hippogriff and the two riders, Astolfo and Sieg, became hazy and ambiguous, as if they could disappear from the world at any moment.

Spartacus's final blow passed through them without any resistance, causing no harm to either of them or the beast.

Astolfo's hidden trump card, the true power of the hippogriff, "impossible existence," finally revealed its might.