Volume 2 Extra: Richard + Durandal = Wheelchair
This is something that happened at a certain moment in the forest outside Snowfield City.
"So, coming to find me... is it because you wish to form an alliance?"
The being who evoked the image of the "Master of the Forest" spoke in a soft, whispering voice. It was a Heroic Spirit with long hair and a harmonious beauty, yet possessed a neutral aura that made it impossible to distinguish gender.
Lancer, Enkidu.
As one of the first six servants summoned, they were a "False" Heroic Spirit. He, or she, had remained in this forest the entire time; unless someone entered, they would not proactively go out to meet anyone. They were akin to a neutral flag on a map.
"Precisely so."
"It doesn't matter much to me... but what benefit would there be for my Master?"
Not a moment after meeting False Lancer, Richard began to chat familiarly, showing absolutely no social barriers as he began to speak eloquently.
".........Benefits...... First...... the situation...... Second...... magical beasts and unexpected factors...... Third..."
"Perhaps......... I don't object...... Hah, you are........."
They continued their dialogue incessantly. Ayaka was deeply envious of her Saber's terrifying social skills. Had it been Ayaka hearing that conversation, she surely would have become lightheaded and submissively followed the other party's lead.
"Do you feel the same way?"
Ayaka stroked the back of a large silver dog that had appeared from who-knows-where.
Fluffy and so cute. She felt like her body was turning to mush. The dog lay quietly on Ayaka's lap, appearing to have proactively turned to mush itself. One person and one dog(?) were about to melt into the space.
'Why must there be conflict in the world?'
If only everyone in the world were a good person. Like the youth and the girl they met in the alley; they were so harmonious, and one could tell they were good people at a glance. Of course, Ayaka also roughly understood that because the world isn't that simple, all sorts of complex problems arise. Come to think of it, it was hard to call the masterminds who brought Ayaka to Snowfield "good people."
Those people alone had put Ayaka through so much suffering... Saber surely had to deal with a hundred times more complex characters during his reign. If there were someone in such an environment who still aspired to be a "Hero of Justice," they would be an incredible person
beyond Ayaka's imagination... At the very least, Ayaka had always just drifted with the flow, so she felt she didn't have much right to judge.
All Ayaka could do was express her gratitude in countless words to the beings protecting her, think about things from their perspective, wonder how she could be useful and not be a burden, and follow instructions. She tried her best to be a good teammate who didn't cause trouble.
'Will there be a day when I stop drifting?'
"If you want me to reveal my martial arts, I would be quite happy to."
Eh?
Ayaka snapped out of her daze of watching butterflies with the dog.
"Please, feel free. Though, I suppose I shall be the one to strike first."
Saber and Lancer both wore smiles as they spoke in silent accord. However, one drew a sword, while the other caused the ground to ripple with froth, from which numerous armaments emerged.
"What are you two doing...?"
Ayaka hugged the large silver dog, her face twitching with a pile of ominous premonitions. The silver dog followed her gaze from Saber to Lancer on the other side.
"Don't worry, Ayaka. This is just a small test of skill for the sake of the alliance—a segment to prove our strength," Richard said with a smile.
'So why on earth do you have to fight just to talk about an alliance!? Is this a society ruled by power!?'
Powerless little Ayaka could only tremble.
"It's fine, Master. You needn't worry about me, and I will show sufficient restraint," Lancer also said with a smile.
He seemed to be speaking to the silver wolf in Ayaka's arms. Ayaka looked at it in disbelief. The big silver dog kept its fluffy body buried in Ayaka's arms, merely tilting its head.
'Wait, the Master is you!?'
However, because it was so comfortable to hold, Ayaka did not pull away.
"Speaking of which, the sword I currently hold was gifted to me. Using it doesn't count as foul play, does it? Actually, I haven't officially used it yet. I would be very happy if I could use it now in a battle with a hero like you!"
"It's no problem. Although I will hold back, I won't say something as difficult as 'stopping at the skin.' You may play as you wish."
Upon hearing this, Richard was radiant. He immediately snatched up that longsword, which featured a primary color scheme of silver, gold, and blue and radiated a powerful presence.
From that moment, the battle began.
The earth, possessing countless Noble Phantasms, gathered intense prana, and the flashes of blades were born all at once. Before one knew it, Saber was even surrounded by numerous earthen armaments.
To this, Saber gave a battle-hungry grin—
The Noble Phantasm in his hand burst into brilliant radiance.
A massive, dazzling aurora was fired, sweeping out like a laser beam. In an instant, the beam blew away the miscellaneous armaments, clearing an unobstructed path in front of Richard. However, Richard himself wore an expression even more surprised than Lancer's. It seemed that with the prana he had originally injected, it shouldn't have possessed such power.
"It's actually this easy to use!"
Richard muttered, consciously stopping his feet which had intended to start running.
'I was going to run because I couldn't block them all. Now I've blocked them just by standing still, so why should I run?'
Now Richard knew what to do.
Scanning the countless barrages filled with light and sound, Richard felt a flash of inspiration. He cooperated perfectly by raising the sword...
In short, one swing! Two swings! Three swings!
Laser beams flew toward different directions across the sky. The barrages approaching Richard were immediately pushed back; even barrages that might have thoughtfully left an evasion route were pitiably and violently swatted away. Countless barrages continued to close in on Richard—a single slow swing would result in being impaled—and the quality and quantity of the earthen armaments were still increasing, yet Richard stood in the middle, laughing incessantly.
'Wow, I don't even have to move!'
"Haha, this is so fun!"
Richard stood in place, sweeping casually. With every sweep, a section of the barrage vanished on the spot as if wiped by a windshield wiper. Since he had activated "auto-cleaning" without moving, it felt like he would lose if he actually moved!
"This is truly a weapon I cannot help but thank! Being considerate to this degree actually makes me feel ashamed. To help me by putting yourself in my shoes, to go to such trouble for
my inadequacies... as a friend, you are truly an admirable comrade. I really hope I have a chance to repay you!"
The quality and quantity of the earthen armaments increased like a torrential downpour, and the laser portions also grew competitive, becoming faster and faster. The laser array of light and the rain of Noble Phantasm barrages—neither side showed any intention of stopping, both signaling that they would not rest until they had swallowed the other's barrage.
"What are you two doing!?" Ayaka, nearly blinded by the flashes, let out a sharp cry.
No one ignored her.
If you were to ask why—isn't this a battle to compete over whose barrage is more impressive? How could they lose!
Ten minutes later.
"Did I pass the test?"
"Yes, you passed. Your strength is quite impressive."
The heat of the competition finally cooled down a bit, and Richard was relieved. He solemnly sheathed his sword and bowed.
And after that, he picked up his new dedicated weapon again.
"Sorry, could you keep me company a bit longer? It seems I haven't had my fill yet. The passion in my heart simply won't allow me to stop halfway. I want to try this wonderful weapon a few more times! Ah, honestly, if this sword had existed in my lifetime, it would be at the level of a national treasure. I'm quite excited now; I must apologize in advance for my rudeness toward you!"
Pleasant passion filled Richard's cheeks.
"In that case, I shall increase my output as well. Rest assured, stretching my limbs once in a while doesn't feel half bad. I will accompany you to the very end, until you are satisfied."
Lancer's face was full of a serene smile.
Ayaka looked at the forest chaotically filled with light and weapons, and at the two inexplicably happy smiling faces. Finally, she and the silver dog looked at each other, then looked at the beings who frequently protected them.
After passing through countless types of complex logical thinking, Ayaka finally reached a simple conclusion beside the hail of bullets.
"I think... they just want to fight for the sake of it."
The big silver dog barked in agreement.
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