This Is My Holy Grail War [113]

Would Karna’s curse carry over if Saber underwent a transformation? The answer was self-evident. Just as Artoria could walk on water, Saber could also use this ability to float upon the surface.

The simplest way to understand this was through the concept of divinity: a blessing that bestowed great power but came with weaknesses, such as vulnerability to anti-divine attacks.

Through Chiron, Saber had obtained critical information. Karna’s abilities, flaws, and even his past were now fully exposed.

Setting down her sword, [Durandal], Saber gently opened the epic Chiron had handed her. She began to delve into the mythological text, seeking insights into Lancer of Red’s history.

Know your enemy as well as yourself, and you will never be defeated. Saber methodically analyzed how to overcome Karna.

Her Master, however, lacked such composure. Gordes was far from dependable, and Saber’s trust in him was steadily eroding. Despite the fact that their opponent was the son of the Sun God, Gordes had flown into a rage after a stalemate in their last encounter, blaming Saber as if she were at fault.

He was impatient to the point of recklessness, ignoring the overwhelming strength of their adversary.

Foolish and short-sighted, Saber thought grimly. Her opinion of him had fallen sharply.

“Attention, Masters of Yggdmillennia. Rider has fled with a homunculus,” Darnic’s voice echoed throughout the castle via magical broadcast. “That homunculus is a vital specimen. Capture it alive at all costs.”

The announcement carried across the castle, alerting all to the situation: a homunculus had escaped from Caster’s workshop, though the cause of the escape remained unclear.

Saber had no interest in getting involved. This is Caster’s problem to deal with. She didn’t know what Caster needed the homunculus for, but it was their responsibility to manage their own creations.

With the castle’s numerous defenses, Saber doubted the homunculus could truly escape. She dismissed the broadcast as irrelevant to her and returned to her work.

But then her Master’s command came, interrupting her focus.

Saber, now is the time to prove your worth! Gordes’ voice rang in her ears, grating and insistent. The homunculus is escaping! Go and retrieve it!

“What a nuisance,” Saber muttered, reluctantly closing her book. “Is this really necessary?” Her voice was tinged with irritation.

A faint mist of magical energy hovered in her room—her personal workshop, where she had fortified her defenses. She hated to leave the safety of her space, but ignoring a Master’s order wasn’t an option. With three Command Spells binding her, she couldn’t predict what foolish actions her Master might take if she disobeyed. Her trust in modern magi was nonexistent.

Saber stepped out of her room and immediately spotted Gordes. Despite his large, cumbersome frame, he was bustling about with unusual urgency, practically tripping over himself in his eagerness to please Darnic.

“We’re going, Saber!” Gordes barked, barely pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. He led Saber toward the forest outside the castle, clearly aiming to capture the homunculus before anyone else.

Rider, escorting a youthful-looking homunculus, seemed ill-prepared for their escape. There was no plan, no preparation—just a desperate bid for freedom.

The moment they stepped outside the castle, their movements were noticed.

Saber, silent and impassive, had no trust left in her Master. With a powerful leap, she surged forward, positioning herself in front of Rider and the homunculus to block their path.

“That’s it, Saber! Stop Rider!” Gordes shouted. “I’ll handle capturing the homunculus!”

“Run!” Rider, Astolfo, shouted, visibly shaken by Saber’s sudden appearance. In the shadowy forest, Saber stood resolutely, ready to buy her Master time by confronting Rider directly.

“Let’s end this quickly, Rider. There’s no point in futile resistance,” Saber said coldly, her sword gleaming as it sliced through the air.

Had Rider been an enemy, Saber’s blade would have aimed directly for his throat. However, as an ally, she suppressed her killing intent, delivering only swift, non-lethal strikes meant to overwhelm him.

Clang!

Saber’s sword collided with Rider’s lance. In an instant, she overpowered him. Whether in agility or strength, Saber dominated the fight.

This wasn’t a battle—it was a one-sided lesson. Rider’s lance technique was clumsy compared to Saber’s mastery, and his stats were far inferior.

If not for their alliance, Saber was certain she could kill him in three moves. Such was the disparity between Servants.

Pinned under Saber’s relentless attacks, Rider roared in frustration. “Saber! Let me through! Don’t Servants have the right to help others? I’m trying to save that child!”

Saber disarmed Rider with a flick of her blade, pressing the tip to his throat. “Why? What compels you to protect him?” she asked curiously.

“I swore, upon the honor of Charlemagne’s Paladins, to shield that child! He only wants to live—he’s done nothing wrong. He hasn’t even tasted happiness, and you want to let him die? I can’t allow it!”

Saber’s emerald eyes softened briefly. “I understand. Your reasoning is sound. But I cannot let you pass.”

Master, are you done yet? Saber called out telepathically but received no response. She tried again. Master, have you captured the homunculus?

Still, there was silence.

With a sigh, Saber disengaged. “I’ll check myself.”

“Wait for me, Saber!” Rider scrambled to retrieve his fallen lance and hurried after her. But when the homunculus came into view again, both Servants froze.

What greeted them was not an escapee, but a lifeless body—a boy with short, tea-colored hair. His expression was pure, untainted, but his face was ashen, drained of life. It was the visage of one who had reached the end, fading like a withering flower.

All that remained was a broken corpse.

Nothing else.

The boy was dead.

The lifeless homunculus before Saber felt no different from the Dragon Tooth Warriors she had once faced—artificial constructs, created as tools, and disposable in infinite numbers.

“Hey, hang in there!” Rider cried, rushing to the boy’s side. Shaking his frail body, her voice cracked with emotion. “It’s okay! You’re going to be okay... right? I’m sorry... I couldn’t protect you.” Her voice grew smaller with each word. But Saber knew the truth: the homunculus had only a faint breath of life remaining.

Saber turned away in silence, not sparing even a glance at the dying figure.

To her, this wasn’t a life. It was merely a doll of flesh and blood, devoid of a soul, without true self-awareness. As a mere familiar, it wasn’t worth her concern.

“What... this homunculus dared to attack me? Does it not know who gave it life?!” Gordes, now recovered from his stunned stupor, bellowed in rage. “You saw that, right? It attacked me first! That wretched homunculus! If I hadn’t been prepared, it might have killed me! Damn it! Damn it!”

Saber’s disdain for her Master deepened. He had made a mistake and now sought to blame everything else to cover his own incompetence.

Save me...

“Hm?” A faint voice brushed against Saber’s ears, prompting her to turn her head slightly. It was a soft, boyish tone, almost imperceptible.

After a brief moment of realization, she brushed past Gordes, ignoring his indignant shouts, and approached the homunculus.

“I don’t want to die... I want to live...”

The voice was unmistakably coming from the homunculus. Despite his frailty, his lips moved slowly, forming desperate words—a plea for life.

As he struggled against the agony of death, his face was etched with pain and helplessness. Something in that expression struck a deep chord within Saber, making her chest tighten.

No one understood the torment of nearing death more intimately than she did. When one’s foot hovered on the precipice of the abyss, madness followed.

That shared experience awakened Saber’s sympathy. In this fragile life, she saw a reflection of herself. He just wants to live... just like me.

Saber felt a resonance between them, a faint echo in her heart. She placed a hand on Astolfo’s shoulder and asked, “Didn’t they say this homunculus was important?”

“He’s important to me,” Rider replied, gently lifting the homunculus in her arms and attempting, in vain, to revive him.

“I see.” Saber made her decision.

With a faint shimmer, a black grimoire materialized in Saber’s hands. In the blink of an eye, she transformed, her figure morphing into a strikingly beautiful elven woman. Her ears tapered to delicate points, and her expression radiated an otherworldly purity.

“Saber, what are you doing?” Gordes demanded, his voice filled with confusion.

“Saving him,” Saber replied succinctly as she opened the grimoire.

Her soft chant began to fill the air, an ethereal hymn that echoed through the dark forest like a sacred melody. It was as if a goddess were singing an ode to the beauty of all creation.

Emerald light began to envelop the homunculus, saturating his body with restorative energy. Life force surged within him, mending his shattered heart and healing even his most grievous wounds. The radiant magic bound every fragment of his being together, returning him to life.

Cough, cough! The homunculus gasped for air, his pale eyelids fluttering open. His gaze met Saber’s. Weakly, he extended a trembling hand toward her, as if reaching for her very essence, though his strength failed to lift his arm fully.

“Thank... you...” His voice, faint and halting, carried the gratitude of one who had been snatched from death’s clutches.

“You’re welcome.” Closing the grimoire with a flourish, Saber ended her chant. In just a fleeting moment, she had used sorcery from the Age of Gods to rescue someone teetering on the edge of oblivion.

“He’s... alive?!” Rider exclaimed, her face a mix of awe and relief. Overwhelmed with joy, she threw her arms around Saber in a tight embrace. “Thank you, Saber! I didn’t think you’d become an angel-like Caster to save him. This must be divine intervention!”

“I have some knowledge of magic,” Saber replied modestly, “and healing happens to be one of my skills.”

“What did you just do?!” Gordes demanded, his disbelief evident. “You brought him back to life?!”

“No, not exactly. He was never truly dead,” Saber explained, her elven visage serene. “If he had died, my magic wouldn’t have worked. His organs were intact, his life force hadn’t completely faded, and there was no curse afflicting him. His body retained its vitality, and his magical circuits were still active.”

“It was simply a broken heart. Not difficult to heal.”

Her calm declaration left Gordes utterly dumbfounded. The modern magus stood frozen, his expression a mix of confusion and fear.

“But... but that’s impossible!” Gordes stammered, his voice rising in hysteria. “A shattered heart can’t be healed! How could you...?”

“It’s a simple healing spell. There’s no need to overreact,” Saber replied nonchalantly.

“You... you must have misunderstood the fundamentals of magic,” Gordes muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. His face betrayed the depth of his fear.

“What are you so afraid of, magus?” Saber asked, her gaze steady.

---

T/N: UGH GORDES, tsk if rin was the master she'd probably would have forced Karna to unleash Vasavi Shakti during their first clash imagine it...

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!