This Is My Holy Grail War [176]

Saber lightly stepped onto the lake’s surface, the chill of the water registering at her toes. She had inherited all of Artoria’s skills, even those hidden abilities not explicitly listed in her parameters.

Thanks to the blessing of the Lady of the Lake, Saber could walk on water as effortlessly as if she were on solid ground. The only indication of her presence was the faint ripples spreading beneath her feet.

As she strolled across the river, Saber carried Victoria slung over her shoulder. It wasn’t an elegant princess carry—instead, it was as if she were hauling a sack of grain. Though the swordswoman appeared petite, her Strength parameter was as high as B-rank. Carrying Assassin’s Master like this was a deliberate choice—she simply didn’t want Victoria obstructing her line of sight.

Victoria let out soft, labored breaths, her frail body swaying on the water’s surface. Her delicate face, pale and sorrowful, was reflected in the rippling river beneath them.

Like a lotus emerging from the water, she exuded a tragic beauty. Yet Saber didn’t spare her a glance, as if nothing had happened. Her full attention remained fixed on the Holy Grail.

“Now that we know where the Greater Grail is,” Victoria cast a wary glance at the placid lake, the cold air pricking at her skin, prompting her to urge, “let’s hurry back.”

“No rush. We just got here.” Saber studied the water’s surface with great interest, tapping lightly at the spot directly above the Greater Grail.

“You’re not thinking of going under, are you?!” Victoria asked, her voice laced with urgency. “The Grail is buried deep—do you really think you can reach it? I can’t dive.”

She wasn’t lying, and Saber could tell. If the Greater Grail were buried too shallowly, it would have been destroyed by the sword strike that had split the land in two long ago.

Yet Saber could sense that the leyline and the Grail’s system remained intact. That was why the Holy Grail War continued as usual.

Had the Grail already been taken, forcing someone to use their Noble Phantasm to claim it? Or had it been destroyed, along with the land, by a Servant’s blade? The past was already set in stone, and any traces it left behind had long been eroded by time.

“When was the last Holy Grail War?” Saber asked. She couldn’t see Victoria’s face from this angle, only her back. But she could feel the girl trembling—still shaken from her earlier fright.

“Sixty... sixty years ago.” Victoria swallowed hard before answering. “The Holy Grail War occurs every sixty years.”

“You’re lying.”

Saber’s words stunned Victoria. As the girl’s confused expression surfaced, Saber slowly raised her hand.

A stream of water rose from the river, flowing toward Saber’s palm. In moments, it reached the height of a grown man. Saber, dressed immaculately in her formal attire, moved her pale fingers ever so slightly, and the water twisted into intricate lines.

The transparent liquid gradually solidified—before their very eyes, it transformed into white bone. Saber took a step back as the bone grew larger and larger, eventually forming a skeletal fish that dove back into the water.

“Wh-What is that?” Victoria blurted out. “[Dragon Tooth Warriors]?”

“Yes, [Dragon Tooth Warriors].”

“But you didn’t use a dragon’s tooth. Can... can water work too?!”

Faced with the modern magus’s bewilderment, Saber smiled faintly. “Even air would work. Water is simply more suitable.”

“It will dive down and show me what happened back then.” After saying this, Saber patted Victoria lightly and asked, “Has anyone ever used the Grail to fulfill their wish?”

“My parents once told me that my great-grandfather obtained the Holy Grail.”

So Victoria’s family had once been victors in the Holy Grail War. Yet despite this, why had she—a mere girl—been sent to fight this time?

“What about your parents?” Saber asked, puzzled.

“They’re gone.” Victoria’s voice choked slightly. Saber instinctively placed a hand on her back—lightly, gently.

“It’s that curse again, isn’t it?” Saber had already guessed the answer.

“Mm.” Victoria nodded with difficulty, tears welling up but refusing to spill. She bit her lip, holding it in.

Weak-bodied and afflicted, Assassin’s Master had no choice but to participate in the Holy Grail War. Summoning a Servant and fighting her way through the battle was the only path forward.

Modern magecraft couldn’t cure her. Neither could contemporary medicine undo the lingering effects of the curse. Her frail body was so delicate that mere exposure to the elements could mean death. She couldn’t run, and even if she tried, there was nowhere to run to.

Born into despair, destined to die in it—until the Holy Grail offered her a chance at survival.

Saber contemplated this, beginning to understand the predicament of the Russian girl in her arms. “It’ll get better. Once we claim the Grail, I’ll heal your body.”

“Thank you.” Victoria’s voice was soft, but Saber didn’t feel sincerity in it. She had spoken words of gratitude, but deep inside, something was left unsaid.

Her lips parted, then closed again, as though she had swallowed her true thoughts before they could escape.

“The Grail’s magical energy is abundant. There’s not even a hint of leakage.” The report from the [Dragon Tooth Warrior] confirmed the Grail’s status. “But it has clear signs of recent maintenance—very recent.”

Saber could handle all tasks alone, but she had to bring Victoria along. After all, Saber had a Master, and that was her only weakness. Fortunately, her Master was obedient enough not to do anything reckless.

“It’s time to go. Let’s head straight back.”

“Straight back?!” Victoria seemed reluctant. She looked like she wanted to wander a bit more. “We finally made it out here…” She fidgeted, neither rejecting nor agreeing outright.

“There’s an enemy.” Saber tilted her head slightly as she spoke.

Servants were naturally attuned to magical energy, and coupled with her [Instinct], Saber could sense even the faintest fluctuations in her field of vision.

Not far from her workshop, she had detected Berserker’s presence.

The enemy wasn’t concealing themselves, nor were they withdrawing. Saber’s Master was still in the workshop, and she feared that while they were out, their home might be raided.

If the temple was destroyed, it wouldn’t matter—she could always rebuild it. But if her Master died, that would be troublesome.

“…You really don’t know much, do you?” Saber whispered playfully into Victoria’s ear.

Startled, the girl shrank back instantly, like a frightened kitten.

Good. Even if that blind Master of hers perished, Victoria would make an excellent backup.

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T/N: I WISH SABER WOULD WHISPER IN MY EAR LIKE THATTT AAAAAAA

This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!