To War: Demon Carving (Witching Hour)

"I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity, Sir Emiya." Guiche smiled and raised his sword, a bronze blade he formed with his magic. "For such a powerful mage to take the time to personally tutor one such as myself… I am grateful."

Emiya shook his head. "I wouldn't be if I were you."

Guiche's smile widened. "There is no need to humble yourself, Sir Emiya. To learn from a Square-class mage is every beginning mage's dream."

Emiya didn't respond. Guiche would figure out the meaning behind his words soon enough.

It was nearing dusk. After getting the rest of the group familiar with Louise's new appearance, something that Emiya would rather not remember due to the various headaches associated with that event, they made their way towards the closest treasure site on the maps that Guiche and Kirche had bought. That site was supposed to be some stone temple hidden in a forest near Tarbes bearing a magical sword.

After a long trek across empty plains, the group finally reached the forest. However, since it was getting late and since they had been traveling most of the day, the girls decided to set up camp in a forest clearing with a large pond nearby so that they could bathe.

Seeing as the males in the group, Emiya and Guiche, were in the minority, they were summarily assigned to set up the camp while the girls went off to unwind and refresh themselves in the pond. All of that led to the current situation.

Emiya hefted the sword in his right hand and pondered exactly what he should impart on the young noble.

"So, Sir Emiya," Guiche said. "What exactly will you be teaching me? Just out of curiosity. Not that I mean to impose in any way or seem wanting, but-"

Emiya decided. "You talk too much."

Before Guiche had finished talking, Emiya was already in front of him. The blonde's eyes widened, and he tried to move his sword. However, before he could do so much as twitch, Emiya's blade was already in motion.

Silver cut across Guiche's neck, sending blood splattering to the ground. At the same time, his bronze sword fell to the ground, completely forgotten as Guiche clutched his hands around his neck, trying to stop the blood flow. He stared at Emiya in horror for a few moments. However, before long, that horror turned into confusion as he realized that his head was still attached and that there wasn't a gaping wound in his neck.

"S-Sir Emiya," Guiche said. "H-how-?"

"Never relinquish your blade, even with a mortal wound."

With those words said, Emiya moved again, his sword thrust towards Guiche's heart.

The young noble panicked and scrambled backwards. Whether out of instinct or luck, Guiche managed to form another sword in his right hand. With it, he swung out blindly to parry Emiya's blow.

The frantic slash sent Emiya's stab wide, but it wasn't enough to stop the silver swordsman's assault. Instead of resisting the parry, Emiya moved with it, borrowing the momentum to cleave Guiche's skull.

Guiche's eyes crossed as he watched the approaching blade. The moment that blade carved into his skull, Guiche's eyes lost focus and his body slumped like a marionnete with cut strings. But surprisingly, brain matter and blood didn't litter the forest clearing. Instead, a single drop of blood dripped down across Guiche's forehead, along with a lock of hair.

Emiya lowered Excalipur and scratched the back of his head. "This might take a while."

He expected Guiche to be somewhat competent, having survived that skirmish with fake Servants back in Albion, but it was beginning to look like that might have been due to being with Kirche and Tabitha at the time rather than his own merits.

Unlike his spar with Louise, Emiya had been moving at the level of a pure human. Despite that, Guiche still managed to 'die'.

Well, that was fine. Fear and pain were both great teachers. It wouldn't take long for him to get the basics down with Emiya as his teacher. Even if Emiya didn't have the time to teach him thoroughly, battle instincts wouldn't be hard to instill if he kept dealing lethal blows with Excalipur.

Guiche blinked, some light returning into his eyes.

Seeing that, Emiya strode forwards, his sword held casually at the side.

Guiche scrambled to his feet. With his right hand, he held out his sword like before. But this time, he drew his wand and held it in his left hand.

Emiya smiled raised his sword. "You learn quickly."

Guiche's legs trembled but he stood his ground. Instead of responding, he waved his wand, summoning a trio of bronze valkyries to guard him.

Emiya's smile widened. "Now… let's start the lesson for real."

"Oh come now, Louise. What's a little skinship between friends?"

"Hmph." Louise scoffed and dried her hair with a towel.

Bathing in the pond had been a relaxing affair, but Kirche had decided it would be even better after some 'good old Germanian skinship'.

Louise flushed as she remembered the experience, but she ignored it and slipped on the crimson blouse Emiya had prepared for her. Fortunately, her wand had been out of reach at the time, the temple hidden in the forest might have become the temple hidden in the crater.

Off to the side, Montmorency, already fully clothed, finished curling her hair with a spell and scoffed. "Friends? As if I would consider us such, Zerbst."

Kirche slipped on a white blouse and shrugged. "I wasn't talking to you, 'Monmon'. Though it's no wonder Guiche keeps chasing other woman with a figure like yours. I mean, I had heard Tristainians were petite, but you…"

Montmorency clenched her wand and glared at Kirche. "Why you-!"

Louise sighed and finished putting on the rest of her clothes. By her side, Siesta had done the same and stared at the two who were still arguing. "Miss Louise," Siesta whispered. "Are all nobles usually like this?"

Louise took a moment to glance at her peers. Kirche and Montmorency arguing over meaningless things with their familiars having a standoff nearby. Tabitha indifferently reading a book on her dragon off to the side. Although it seemed chaotic… Louise sadly couldn't deny that the situation was any different than the usual when nobles gathered.

"Sadly, yes."

The topics of the arguments might change and the number of people involved could vary, but the general atmosphere wouldn't be much different than what was going on at the moment.

Thankfully, with Emiya around, she probably wouldn't have to deal with that. Hopefully. Maybe.

"R-Regardless! You, Valliere!" Montmorency turned towards Louise and pointed at her.

Louise sighed. "What is it?"

Montmorency grit her teeth and then said, "What is your relationship with Guiche?"

Louise blinked. "I… don't have one?"

The only real tie between them outside of being classmates was that both their families were in the employ of the Royal Family.

"Then what made him stand up for you back at the academy? Don't tell me you offered him something like-"

Louise scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, 'Monmon'. Like I would want anything to do with that philanderer."

"That's right." Kirche cut in and said, "Louise over there only has eyes for Emiya. Why, she even threw away her fiance to elope with him. Romantic, isn't it?"

"Wha-? Kirche!" Louise flushed and tossed a balled up towel at the Germanian.

Kirche laughed and dodged it. "It's true, isn't it?"

Louise glared and glanced around for something else to throw at her long-time 'friend'. But before she could, Montmorency scoffed.

"Well, you'd better not try anything funny, Valliere," Montmorency said. "Just because you obtained larger… just because you're more skilled than you were before doesn't mean you're not a zero! And I'll have you know that Guiche and I are already betrothed, so don't even think about making any moves on him unless you want a blood feud!"

"…Right." Louise shook her head and began putting on her shoes. "Whatever you say, 'Monmon'."

Montmorency huffed again before turning her attention to gathering her scattered belongings, though not before sending Louise another glare.

No wonder Guiche messes around so much. With someone as controlling as her for a fiancee… An image flashed in Louise's mind of Guiche giving his all to impress Montmorency again and Louise sighed. Well, to each their own.

After that, the girls gathered their belongings and headed back to the forest clearing. When they arrived, they were greeted with a strange sight.

Emiya stood in front of Guiche, who was knelt to the ground and gasping for air. Cuts littered Guiche's body and blood stained his clothes a dark brown. Then, around both of them, were countless broken and twisted swords, as well as lumps of scrap metal.

Montmorency screamed and ran towards Guiche. She wrapped him in her arms and pulled out her wands, rapidly muttering healing incantations.

Louise turned to Emiya and raised an eyebrow.

"…What? He asked for it."

"This should be it, Sir Emiya."

"Thank you, Siesta. I'll take it from here."

It was the morning after and Emiya had realized exactly why Tabitha took to flying along on her dragon instead of traveling with Kirche and the lovey-dovey couple of Guiche and Montmorency. Not because the two blondes were overly affectionate, but rather because of the sparks that kept flying between Kirche and Montmorency.

Ever since getting up in the morning and traveling, there had been non-stop arguing between the fire and water mage. Part of it was because Montmorency was too eager to jump at the slightest insinuation, but most of it was because Kirche found entirely too much amusement in teasing Montmorency.

As a result, Guiche found himself serving as a mediator and Louise became collateral damage. Tabitha, in the meanwhile, was at the rear of the group on her dragon casually reading her book as usual.

Emiya could only be grateful for the fact that Siesta was nearby to serve as a voice of reason and help him navigate the area.

"Alright," Siesta said. "Then here you go, Sir Emiya." She offered him the map she was holding.

Emiya took it and then looked forward. According to the map and the drawings of the temple, they should have reached it. However, there was nothing to be seen except an empty forest clearing. At least, to the naked eye.

Behind him, Kirche sighed. "Chalk it up to be another loss on Guiche's part."

"How many times do I have to keep telling you, Zerbst? Call him Gramont!"

Kirche huffed and crossed her arms. "And how many times do I have to tell you, Monmon? After all of our harrowing life and death battles, we've gotten close enough to be on a first name basis. Isn't that right, Guiche?"

"Grr… tell her, Guiche!"

The man in question broke out in cold sweat and said, "N-now Monmon. There's no need to be so sensitive."

"Sensitive?!"

"I-I mean-"

Louise rolled her eyes and said, "Would it kill the two of you to not fight for ten minutes? Emiya's trying to focus over there so that we can get something out of this trip."

Montmorency scowled. "Shut it, Zero! Nobody asked you!"

"…I take it back." Louise reached for Derf's handle. "Maybe that's what it'll take."

Guiche slipped between Louise and Montmorency and held out his hands. "N-now ladies, why don't we all relax for a moment?"

Louise stared at Guiche for a while before huffing and crossing her arms. "Whatever."

Guiche turned towards Montmorency. "Monmon?"

She stared at Louise for a while longer before spinning around and pointedly ignoring her.

"Well," Emiya said. "Now that you're all done arguing, let's enter the temple."

Kirche frowned. "Enter the temple? What do you mean, Darling?"

Louise growled. "Zerbst…"

Kirche ignored her and said, "There's nothing here."

"That's what they want you to think. It's a bit of tricky magic, but there definitely is a temple here. All you have to do is…" Emiya walked over to an old tree and gave it a swift kick. "Apply a little force."

In an instant, the surroundings changed. What was once an empty clearing revealed a vast stone temple, reminiscent of the ones in Rome with towering pillars. The walls were crumbling, but it still stood, somehow prevailing against the test of time.

And then there were the monsters.

Emiya stared at the horde of goblins, orcs, and trolls spread out in front of temple entrance. "Didn't expect that. Well… good luck Louise."

"Huh?"

Before she could respond, Emiya grabbed her in his arms and launched her into the crowd of monsters. "EEEEMMMMIIIIYYAAAA!"

That done, he turned his attention to Guiche.

"W-wait a moment, Sir Emiya," Guiche said. "I don't think this is the wisest-"

"It's just some weak demihumans. You'll be fine."

And then before Guiche could make another reply, he too was sent flying through the air at the monster horde.

Tabitha blinked. "Are you trying to kill them?"

"Hm? Oh, no. They'll learn faster this way. The two of them are just short on combat experience. Louise because I've been taking care of everything and Guiche… I assume has been taken care of by you and Kirche?"

Tabitha nodded and then tilted her head. "Then… us?"

"You're strong enough as you are, Miss 'stab him with an icicle before asking questions'."

Tabitha flushed and lowered her gaze. "That was an accident."

"Right. Accident. Anyway, you and Kirche are plenty strong. Let the two newbies get the bulk of the experience."

"That's a good point," Kirche said. "But isn't tossing them into the fray a bit…?"

"They're fine. Look."

Louise had screamed as she was thrown in, but her body's instincts had kicked in and she was already making mincemeat out of the monsters.

Guiche wasn't quite as extreme in exterminating the monsters, but he was doing a good enough job of coordinating with his valkyries to keep him alive and take down any monster close by.

"Huh," Kirche said. "Guess you're right."

Montmorency's gaze flitted between Emiya, Kirche, and Tabitha with horror in her eyes. She turned her gaze to the last person, Siesta, and said, "Stop them!"

The maid tilted her head. "Stop them? Sir Emiya said they'll be fine, so they'll be fine."

Hearing that, Montmorency took a step back. "…Crazy. You're all crazy!" She shook her head and then ran into the fray, her wand held out. "Guiche! I'm coming! Don't worry!"

Louise groaned and leaned back against a tree, Derf laying on the ground beside her. "Stupid Emiya. Making me do all of this work…"

After what seemed like forever, she and Guiche had managed to take out all of the monsters that were in the temple. Corpses littered the ground all around them, along with smelly blood and entrails. It was enough to make Louise want to vomit, but she held back out of not wanting to embarrass herself.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a bit, trying to get some rest.

Emiya had entered the temple along with Kirche, Tabitha, and Siesta to take a look, leaving Louise alone with Guiche and Montmorency.

She didn't care about what those two were doing, but she could somewhat hear their banter from somewhere in the distance.

Fatigue set in and Louise began to nod off. But just before she did, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

Louise reluctantly opened her eyes and glared at the person who did it. "What?"

It was Guiche. A pair of cups were in his hands. "Sorry to trouble you, Louise." He raised the cups and said, "However, Monmon conjured some water for me. While I appreciate her affection, it would be remiss of me to ignore the true warrior of that battle."

Louise raised an eyebrow. "How considerate."

Guiche shrugged. "It is the least I can do. Were it solely I who was fighting in that battle, I doubted I would have lasted as long. It is not wine, but I hope you wouldn't mind sharing a toast in victory?" That said, he offered a cup towards Louise.

Louise stared at the cup. Now that she thought of it, she was thirsty. All of that fighting had drained her so a little drink wouldn't hurt. "Alright, Gramont. I'll take you up on that offer."

She grabbed the cup from Guiche.

He smiled and raised his own. "To our victory."

"Yeah, victory…" Louise gave an unenthusiastic reply and then downed her drink. As she did, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Montmorency turn pale.

"So this is the temple? Not very impressive." Kirche muttered as she looked around. "All that work for some rubble."

Emiya shrugged. "We're here more for the experience than anything else. Any treasure we find is just a bonus."

Unlike the others, he and Louise wouldn't be short on funds any time soon. Or magical items. Though, it was interesting to take a look at the history of another world. It had been a while since he had done that. It had been a lot more often in the past when Rin kept sending him to different places for her experiments. Like the time he managed to end up in a parallel London some decades back with some wannabe Dark Lord Voldy something or another.

The inside of the temple was barren, save for some drawings on the walls and an altar at the back. Emiya ignored the drawings and immediately headed towards the altar. Behind him, the girls trailed behind to take a look around.

"The mural." Tabitha pointed towards a crumbling stone wall and said, "An ancient monster?"

"Strange," Kirche muttered as she looked towards where Tabitha pointed. "I don't remember learning anything like that in our history class."

"You don't?" Siesta said. "I would have thought you nobles would have heard of it?"

Kirche tilted her head. "You know what it is, Siesta?"

She nodded. "Of course. It's an old folktale passed down in my family. That's an image of the Sword Demon."

Emiya had been ignoring the conversation, but he paused when he heard Siesta's words.

"Sword Demon?" Tabitha frowned. "Why that name?"

"Well, legends say that it's a beast made of swords in the shape of a man." Siesta moved towards the mural and brushed off some dust. "Look, it says that right here. 'His body is made of blades, his blood is of iron and his heart-"

Emiya interrupted. "His heart is made of glass."

Siesta nodded. "That's right. Can you read the ancient script as well, Sir Emiya?"

Emiya didn't respond. Instead, he walked over towards the mural and stared at it. When he heard them talking, he thought it was a coincidence. Creatures made from blades were rare, but common enough to not worry about. But that description, those words- they were too specific. And when he stood in front of the mural himself, Emiya found himself at a loss for words.

The image was crude, mere etchings upon stone that had long faded. However, there was no mistaking it, especially with the aria written beside it. An aria that only two people should know about. One was himself, and the other…

"Sir Emiya?"

His heart raced. It was impossible. There was no way. But the longer he stared at the drawing and the longer he stared at the symbols etched in stone, the more familiar they seemed.

"Darling," Kirche said. "You don't look too good. Is something-"

Emiya spun on his heel and ran towards the altar. If it was like he thought, if the person who made this temple was the one he thought it was, then there should be something there. Something that only he should be able to see.

He ran up on the altar, scanned every inch of it using his eyes, peered into the depths of its history but-

"Nothing?"

Right. There was nothing there. Despite what he thought, despite everything that seemed to point to a single conclusion, there was nothing there.

"Sir Emiya?"

Siesta walked towards him, followed by Kirche and Tabitha.

Emiya sighed and shook his head. "There's nothing."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Kirche laughed. "It looks like even the stoic Emiya can get riled up by the thought of treasure, hm?"

Emiya forced a smile. "That's right. I thought there might be something good hidden back there after reading that, but there wasn't anything after all."

Kirche walked over and slung an arm around Emiya's shoulder. "Cheer up, Darling. Like you said, the experience is what counts. And we learned an interesting story. I'd say that's worthwhile, wouldn't you?"

Emiya shrugged off Kirche's arm and started walking towards the temple entrance.

His emotions were in turmoil and he couldn't be bothered to deal with anything else at the moment.

Those words, that handwriting. Even if he lost every memory in himself, even if he forgot even his own name, there was no way he could forget those. There was no way he could forget the only person who could have been responsible for leaving those words behind.

Enough. That wasn't like him. He was a sword. Steel. To allow his thoughts and actions to be tainted by emotions… that was unforgiveable.

Stop. Breathe.

Barely a fraction of a second passed. But it was enough for Emiya to get a handle on his emotions, enough to look at things with calm rationale.

And then he exited the temple and saw Louise collapsed on the ground.

"Montmorency! What did you do?!" Kirche shouted.

"W-what? I haven't done anything!"

Montmorency held up her hands, denying everything. However, there was no mistaking how pale she was, as if all the blood had rushed from her face. Especially when she pointedly avoided looking over at Louise.

Emiya ignored them. Rather than concern himself with a pointless argument, he made his way towards Louise.

Guiche was standing near Louise. When he saw Emiya approach, he flinched and raised his hands, dropping the cup he was holding. "S-Sir Emiya. I don't know what happened. One minute Louise was drinking some water and the next…" Guiche trailed off and shook his head.

Emiya didn't respond. Instead, he knelt next to Louise and moved to place his hand on her forehead. With that done, along with a quick structural analysis, Emiya could get a clear assessment of whether Louise's current situation was due to exhaustion or some other cause. However, before he could, Louise's eyes snapped opened.

Emiya sighed in relief. "Louise. Are you-"

"Emiya…" Louise's voice came out slow and breathy. And the tone was different from her usual voice, tinged with a strange emotion.

Before Emiya could think about what that meant, Louise reached up and laced her hands around the back of his neck.

Emiya froze and Louise stared at him with her eyes, golden pools gazing longingly as if trying to memorize everything about him.

Just as he was going to ask her what was going on, Louise pulled Emiya close and placed her lips against his own.

Confusion, then anger as he realized what had occurred.

Emiya pulled back from Louise, but she clung to him even tighter as if afraid he would vanish if she let go.

"Louise, stop. You're not yourself."

He reached towards her arms and tried to pry them apart, but that caused her to become even more frantic and pull him closer. She buried her head against his chest and said, "No! You… I won't let you go again! Shirou… Emiya, I love you! I love you, I love you, I-"

Emiya didn't hesitate. He reached around to Louise's neck and sent a short burst of energy, knocking her unconscious. After her body relaxed, Emiya lifted Louise into his arms and then turned his gaze towards the one responsible for his Master's actions.

Montmorency flinched and took a step backwards. "I-I…. I didn't do anything! You can't prove it!"

"Monmon…?" Guiche stared at her and then at the fallen cups. "You…?"

Kirche followed Guiche's gaze and then glared at Montmorency. "You were the one who prepared the drinks, weren't you? What did you do?"

Montmorency continued to deny it. "I didn't do anything! I don't know why Valliere's acting that way! I mean-"

Emiya projected a mat and gently placed Louise on it. After ensuring that his Master was comfortable and safe, he vanished. In the next moment, he appeared before Montmorency and placed a sword against her neck. It was a repulsive looking blade, one with veins and black corrosion along its entire form. Within its hilt, a single demonic eye stared, one that swiveled towards Montmorency as if peering into her very soul.

"I will give you one chance," Emiya said, "and once choice. Explain, or die."

Faced with the demonic blade, Montmorency gulped and then said, "…Fine. It was a love potion."

"A LOVE POTION?!" Guiche shouted and then stared at Montmorency. "Monmon, why would you do that?!"

Kirche sighed and lowered her wand. "It's because of you, idiot. You and your philandering ways. But…" She frowned. "A love potion shouldn't make someone act like that. At most, they would get a bit more affectionate. But Louise seemed as if her world would fall apart if she let go of Emiya. That couldn't have been caused by a simple love potion. Unless…" Kirche paused and then, in an instant, her expression twisted into a vicious scowl.

At the same time, Guiche paled and he slowly stepped away from Montmorency. "Monmon. You didn't…?"

"H-hmph. That's right," Montmorency said. "It's my family's special love potion." She turned her gaze back to Emiya and said, "A-and there's no cure for it, okay? She should be fine… sometime? A-and isn't that a good thing?! I mean, Valliere clearly already loves you and-"

"You lie." Emiya stepped forward, pressing the edge of his blade against Montmorency's neck. A tiny crimson line formed where the blade touched flesh and the sword shuddered in satisfaction and desire.

"S-Sir Emiya! I know Monmon has done wrong by you and Miss Valliere but-"

A ring of swords fell from the sky around Guiche and he stopped talking.

The entire time, Emiya's eyes never shifted from Montmorency's. "…There is a cure. Although this 'love potion' of yours is vile and insidious enough to twist the soul, it is not irreversible."

If something was created within the world, it had a counterpart. That was the irrefutable logic of existence, a fact denied only by extraterrestrials and those who had transcended the boundaries of both the world and humanity that operated on different axioms.

The one in front of him was neither, so there should be a cure for the love potion. And there was. Emiya could tell from the way Montmorency's eyes shifted.

…He could forcibly get rid of the potion from Louise with his powers, but with her currently malleable body, he didn't want to risk it. But that didn't mean he had no options.

Soul Eater growled, eager to devour the essence of the one whose neck it kissed. And at that moment, Emiya completely empathized with it.

"Choose. A cure, or your life? Because I can work with either to heal Louise."

Ragdorian Lake. A scenic body of water stretching over 600 square kilometers. A place where vows made would last forever and where promises made would remain unbroken. A land not of men, but of water spirits that had lasted from even before Founder Brimir's time 6000 years ago.

The distance between it and where they were was considerable. At least, for normal means of transportation. At least a few days would pass before they set foot on its shores, and that was if they moved at a pace that would terminally exhaust any mounts they chose. But Emiya refused to delay, and so they arrived on the lakeshore at night time.

Guiche paled and made his way to a nearby shrub, wretching what little remained of his supper into it. Kirche looked to be in mildly better shape, while Tabitha and Montmorency were unaffected, having used some sort of water magic to get rid of their nausea.

Siesta and Louise were obviously fine with Emiya taking precautions to ensure they had a comfortable trip. He had already projected a small shelter for them, furnishing it with a bed for Louise to rest on and a chair for Siesta to sit.

After waiting for everyone to gain their bearings, Emiya turned towards Montmorency and said, "What do we do here?" His flat voice echoed across the quiet lakefront, met only with the soft sound of cresting waves.

"W-well," Montmorency said. "All I have to do is send my familiar out to call the water spirit. Then we can ask for one of its tears."

"And this tear will help to create the antidote?"

Montmorency bit her lips. "…Yes?"

Emiya narrowed his eyes. "You sound uncertain."

"W-well, I've never had to- I mean… it will work." Montmorency muttered. "It has to work." With those words said, she walked towards the lake shore with her familiar, a small frog, in hand.

"W-wait for me, Monmon!" Guiche called out after her and then quickly followed.

"…Sylphid and I will patrol." With those words, Tabitha left as well.

Excluding Siesta and Louise, that left just Kirche and Emiya.

Kirche glanced over at Louise and shook her head. "Despicable. To think that Louise suffered the consequences because of Montmorency's jealousy. I'm surprised though, Emiya. You seem a lot calmer than I thought you would be for what she did."

"Don't be mistaken, Kirche. I'm furious. The only reason I haven't done anything is because of the risk it might bring to Louise."

"Risk?"

"…It's complicated. But yes, the risk."

Kirche frowned and Emiya started to elaborate. But at that time, the lake surface rippled.

Kirche's eyes grew wide and she said, "That's the water spirit?"

Emiya wasn't as impressed and simply stared.

The water coalesced into a humanoid form, one that looked to be a nude version of Montmorency. Glancing over, Emiya saw that her face was flushed, but that she did nothing else. Fear seemed to have overruled her embarrassment.

After a few moments, Kirche sighed and said, "It doesn't look like Montmorency's going to be able to hold up to your expectations, Emiya. The water spirit doesn't seem like it's going to cooperate."

By the lake shore, Emiya could see Montmorency pleading and begging, but the water spirit floated in the air, its arms crossed and unmoved.

If something didn't change the water spirit's mind soon, the entire trip to Ragdorian Lake would be for nothing and Louise would remain enthralled.

"…We shall see."

Silver flashed in the night air and then Emiya appeared behind Montmorency.

"-I beg you, Great Water Spirit! A single tear- no, a single drop! That is all I request of you!"

The Water Spirit shook its head. "I refuse, human. Though you may be of that line, I cannot allow you even that single drop. Not until you fulfill my request."

"But-"

Emiya called out. "What seems to be the problem?"

Montmorency jumped. If not for Guiche's quick actions, she would have fell into the water. After a few moments to steady herself, she turned to Emiya and said, "N-nothing's wrong, Emi-, Sir Emiya! J-just a little delay in negotiations. If you give me another ten- no, five minutes I'll-"

Despite her initial composure, by the time Montmorency was done speaking, her eyes were frantic, flitting between the Water Spirit's impassive expression and Emiya's sharp eyes.

Guiche sighed and then said, "The Great Water Spirit is refusing to part with a piece of its body."

"…Is that all?"

Emiya shifted his gaze to the water spirit. When he did, the spirit returned his gaze.

"…My Master needs a piece of your body to recover. Will you cooperate?"

Guiche blanched at Emiya's words. "S-Sir Emiya. Do you think it would not be better to be a bit more… tactful in your words?"

Emiya scoffed and kept staring at the Water Spirit. "Well?"

"…Impudent." The water spirit shook its head and addressed Montmorency. "Human, our discussion ends here."

Emiya stared at the water spirit. A trifling elemental with minor control over water… and it refused to part with even a tiny portion when it would take less than a day for it to recover?

The water spirit was right. Their discussion was over and words were no longer required.

Instead of asking, Emiya acted. Before Montmorency's pale face and Guiche's wide eyes, Emiya stepped forward and slashed.

…Was it due to his frustration or something else? The result of his slash and the blade that came to hand wasn't what he expected. Neither his Creator's sword nor a Noble Phantasm, the blade that emerged was one of pure white, carved as if from snow… or from bone. But that blade lasted for but an instant, gone the moment Emiya's slash finished.

A wordless scream erupted from the spirit. But as an elemental, its distress did not end in merely sound. With the scream, wind buffetted and enormous waves surged from the lake surface, threatening to envelop them all.

Were it any other person, it would be impossible for them to remain unscathed.

But it was Emiya standing there, and so nothing happened.

The roaring winds were calmed through the powers of countless wind elemental blades. Likewise, the tides were quelled with matching water-aligned swords.

"YOU!" The water spirit stabilized. Its form had twisted, distorting into an amorphous blob. "You dare attack ME?!"

Guiche took a few steps back, pulling Montmorency close to his chest. "S-Sir Emiya," he said. "Not that I doubt your prowess or knowledge, but… do you truly believe that attacking a primordial spirit is the wisest of decisions?"

Before Emiya could respond, the water spirit moved. In an instant, crushing pressure liquified the very air, drawing out all moisture at the bidding of the water spirit. Hearing Guiche and Montmorency collapse behind him, Emiya sighed.

"You're irritating."

This time, Emiya properly summoned a sword.

It was ordinary. A simple long sword that was pitted and covered with rust. It was a blade that seemed like it could shatter if you looked at it funny, an aged sword with an edge so worn it couldn't cut butter.

However, the moment that ordinary and rusted sword emerged, the pressure in the air vanished.

Emiya raised it, ready to cut down the water spirit. However, before he got the chance, the water spirit recoiled and returned to a humanoid form.

"You…" the water spirit said. "What are you?" The cold and emotionless voice from earlier was gone. Instead, the water spirit spoke with trepidation, its voice almost dripping with fear.

Emiya didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Are you going to give us the tear or not?"

He had already drawn His sword. In the next few moments, regardless of what the water spirit chose, he would have that tear.

"…I have no choice in the matter, do I?"

Showing a strangely human emotion, the spirit lowered a tendril of water towards Emiya.

Realizing its intentions, Emiya sent away His sword and projected a vial to store it.

Seeing that, the water spirit murmured. "That magic… so you are-"

"I would suggest you be quiet, elemental, lest you return to the forces from which you were birthed."

Stoppering the vial, Emiya walked over to Montmorency and placed it in her hands. "You have until morning. Get started."

"I can't believe that something like this could happen to Miss Louise."

"…Me neither."

It was the middle of the night. Montmorency was busy concocting the antidote while Guiche stood by her side, offering moral support. Tabitha was patrolling as usual, but this time Kirche had joined the solitary girl.

That left Emiya alone with Siesta to keep watch over Louise. He sighed as he stared at his unconscious Master and shook his head.

Careless. Lately, he had been far too careless. He hadn't considered that something like that could have occurred, and because he hadn't considered it, the result was before him. Thankfully, it was nothing life-threatening, only irritating. However, what if the next time it was poison? Or something more sinister?

Emiya was getting sloppy. He had lost his edge, something fatal to a Sword like him. And he knew why.

Louise…

His Master. The one he was supposed to protect. The one he prioritized above his very being. The one... who he should have never met.

A sword was only useful if it lacked emotions. It was something that moved at the will of its owner, not something that should move for its own sake. It was a tool, an emotionless construct that lashed out at all the enemies obstructing its owner, its Master.

That was true for him. It had been true. But now… doubting, hesitating. Trusting other people, and abiding by what he thought would make his Master happy instead of what he knew was good for her.

A sword. He was a sword. An emotionless tool. Trying to act human, believing he was human… the result of that-

"Shirou…"

A soft mutter.

Emiya froze.

Louise was stirring. But that was impossible. What he used should have kept her out until the next morning. Yet it seemed he had underestimated his Master.

Emiya walked over to her. When he drew near, her eyes opened. However, they were dazed. Vacant.

"…Louise?"

She blinked and turned to look at him. Yet, her eyes were still vacant, as if she saw him and yet was looking at something else. "…You're here." She smiled and said, "I'm happy that you're by my side again."

Emiya stared at her. The look she gave him and the words Louise said- no, the way in which she said them. It was different. Off.

After a moment, Emiya said, "Get some rest, Master. You've been placed under a spell."

"A spell?"

"That's right. A spell. Just go to sleep. When it's over, you'll be back to normal."

Louise shook her head. "No. Sleep… it's already been so long. I've… been sleeping a long time already, Shirou. Just… let me enjoy this some more."

"Louise?" Emiya frowned. Her words, her manner of speaking. For some reason-

"I love you, Shirou. You know that? As dumb and dense as you are, for as much trouble as you cause me… I love you. I still love you, even now. And I'll always love you, even after all of this, even after there's nothing of me left behind. When all of my memories are gone."

"…Get some rest, Master. You're not yourself."

Nonsense. The love potion was forcing Louise to ramble nonsense.

"Not myself…?" Louise muttered. "That's right. I'm not myself. I haven't been for a long, long time. But Shirou, I…" Louise's eyes were starting to flutter shut. "I love you. Now. Then. Al…ways…"

They shut. But in the moment before they did, Emiya thought he saw them flash blue. No. That was surely my imagination.

A coincidence. The love potion, the fact that he had been nostalgic, his Master's personality that was so similar to someone else's. It had to be a coincidence. What he was thinking of, what he was hoping for… it was impossible.

The reason that he had been summoned.

The reason why his Master was so compatible with him.

The reason, the hope that she was really-

"Sir Emiya?" Montmorency called out. She looked worse for the wear with blood-shot eyes and heavy bags beneath them. But Emiya didn't care, his eyes drawn to the small bottle she held in her hands.

"It's done."

Emiya gave Louise the antidote and she went back to sleep. It was an uneventful end to what had been an eventful day. Events that seemingly happened without reason, yet somehow fit within the realm of belief.

After giving Guiche another thrashing- no, another 'lesson', he placed proper safeguards around Louise and personally set out to patrol the area to ensure her safety.

However, as his patrol led him to the lakeshore, someone emerged to accompany him. Or rather, something.

"Water spirit."

The elemental of Ragdorian Lake. The one that had unwillingly given up part of itself to cure Louise's condition.

It strode towards Emiya without a sound, gliding across the air in a vaguely feminine form.

"I would speak to you. And apologize for my previous transgressions."

"…Hmph. Do as you want."

The spirit nodded and drew near, taking on surprisingly human mannerisms as it moved next to him.

It was silent for a long time. Emiya did not speak and neither did it. But eventually, it spoke. "It has been a long time. If I had recognized you, I would not have dared to act in such a manner, milord."

"…Milord?"

Emiya frowned.

"Yes. You are… different now, however, then back then."

Emiya's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"Come. I have something to return to you."

The water spirit floated away towards a nearby forest. Emiya hesitated, then decided to follow. Elementals did not lie, at least not in a direct manner.

After some time walking in the forest, Emiya noticed the air change. "A bounded field?" he muttered.

It was powerful. One that reinforced itself with the ambient mana as time went on, and at the same time, one that should have been completely unnoticeable due to its assimilation with the surroundings.

To hide and protect. That was its purpose. Had it not been Emiya, it would have gone unnoticed. And even to Emiya, had he not been looking specifically towards it with the water spirit's actions, he would have overlooked it.

That was suspicious, but not what bothered him. Instead, it was the fact that everything about it seemed strangely familiar.

The water spirit slipped inside and Emiya followed. When he did and saw what was within it, his eyes widened. "This place is…?"

A familiar scene. The reason why the bounded field was familiar. A place that was in his memories, but did not exist until he set his eyes upon it.

Something slid into place and forgotten blades began to emerge in the depths of his soul, the accumulated memories he had quietly tucked away silently welling forth.

A cabin in the woods. There was a tiny shed nearby and a pond. It looked almost like a scene out of a fairy tale, where it wouldn't be strange for the faefolk to emerge from the depths.

He turned to the Water Spirit and said, "How do you know this place?"

It didn't answer, only heading towards the pond. Once there, it drew out a small wooden box for Emiya from within the pond's depths.

"This was left behind for you. The other I possessed, but it was stolen a few nights prior. That was… in part why I acted so impudent. Forgive me."

Emiya frowned and accepted the box. Curious about what it could be, he opened it. When he did, he froze.

It was a short sword with a purple blade and a leather wrapped hilt with a gem embedded at its pommel. One with a familiar word etched inside of it.

"Azoth…?"

Rin's sword. The blade she had given to him all those years ago back in London after she became the only one he had left to protect.

Static.

"Shirou. Promise me." A voice. One he hadn't heard in a long, long time.

Startled, Emiya dropped the box and spun around. "Rin? Rin!"

He called out, but she didn't answer him. And after a few moments, he realized why.

The source of the voice wasn't anything physical. Instead, it was a recollection. A memory,

He glanced back at the box. It had shattered, the frail wooden frame too weak to endure the sudden impact from colliding with the ground. The Azoth sword, however, was fine. The sudden descent had caused it to stab into the ground point first, leaving the pommel and jewel upright for Emiya to grab.

A strange feeling emerged as he stared at Rin's keepsake. At the same time, thoughts swirled in Emiya's mind.

Turning the accumulated memories into a sword and forging it as a Divine Instrument. In doing so, they could be preserved forever within his world, kept at his side for all of time.

The Azoth sword… it couldn't be that…

Emiya knelt to the ground. Though he hesitated, though something inside him told him to ignore it, to head back to Louise and forget everything he had seen up to that point, he reached out.

The moment his hand touched the hilt… he remembered.

Don't worry. I'm the greatest magus alive, remember? This definitely won't be the last time we see each other.

"Rin…"

Memories that had become faded by time, even though they had been cast into steel.

Looks like you managed to get a personality after all. Only took you half a millenia. Then again, you always were dense. Hah… if only you got it just a little bit earlier.

"I see. You're already gone. You're gone, and the reason why I'm here…"

He had forgotten. No, he had purposefully forgotten.

"…You're terrible, Rin. Really, really terrible."

Louise was dreaming.

You have to promise me, Shirou.

She was dreaming of a time and a place she could no longer remember. A vague recollection flittering on the edge of her consciousness, visible only within the cracks of reality and dreams.

What is it, Rin?

A dream of her and Shirou.

It was a misty cabin in the middle of the woods. A place that was out of the way and unreachable to anyone but them.

She was sitting in front of a pond, trailing her finger across its surface. Because of it, her reflection was unclear, disturbed by the ripples she was creating. Behind her stood Emiya. He looked the same as he always did, but less stern. Relaxed, almost.

After a few moments, she stood up and turned to face him. Promise me that you'll do it.

Shirou shook his head. No. I… even if you want me to, I can't.

You can keep protecting me like you always have. Isn't that right? If you do that, then we can always be together.

…That's sophistry. If I do that then you-

…Hah. Forget about it. I knew you wouldn't do it. You're still too nice. Then… don't forget about me. Don't forget about this. Your origin isn't just his sword, you know? You're the one who's most important to me, more than anyone else, even if you don't believe it.

…Rin?

She rose to her feet and gave him a smile. Her last. I'm sorry, Shirou. From this point on, there's going to be a lot of things you'll have to find out for yourself.

A dagger in her hands. Tears filled her eyes and she said her last words. I love you! She stepped forward, plunging the blade towards his chest, and then-

Louise woke up. A piercing headache. She grasped her head and frowned. "What…?"

"Miss Louise?"

"Siesta? What are you doing here? No, where are we?"

Louise looked around. They were in a makeshift tent of some sort by a lake shore. A completely different place from the forest and the temple she remembered last.

"We are at Ragdorian Lake, Miss Louise. Do you… remember what happened?"

"Ragdorian Lake? …No. I don't. What happened?"

"Well-"

"That conniving Montmorency wanted to potion Guiche so that he wouldn't leave her."

A voice cut through Siesta's. Louise turned towards it to see Kirche walking towards her. She gave Louise a once over and smiled. "I'm glad you're alright, Louise. You of all people don't deserve that kind of treatment."

Louise frowned, and then a thought came to her mind. "Oh no. I didn't… do anything, did I?"

"…Well…"

"Oh Founder." Louise blanched. "Was it Gramont? The potion was meant for him, right? Then does that mean that I-"

"No," Kirche said. "You don't have to worry about that. Nothing happened between you and Gramont."

Louise let out a sigh of relief. "Then what did happen?"

Kirche smiled. "Well… you were quite clingy to our darling Emiya for a while. Not too long though. He realized what was going on pretty quick and knocked you unconscious."

"I-"

Before Louise could reply, Emiya appeared. His expression was distant, eyes blank and conflicted.

"Hm?" His face cleared when he saw Louise. "Master. You're awake. I assume that the antidote went well?"

Kirche nodded. "It seems like it. Then again, with how serious you were being, I wouldn't be surprised if Montmorency didn't triple check it to make sure."

Emiya laughed. "Of course. Anyone who tries something like that on my master, intentional or not, will face the consequence."

"In any case, Emiya… what do you plan on doing now?"

"Now…?" Emiya frowned. "…For now, why don't we head back to the academy?"

"Eh?" Louise frowned. "Why there?"

Emiya said, "It's about time, I think. Something… tells me that it's where we need to go."

Louise watched Emiya. There was something different about him. Something distinctly off, but she couldn't place exactly what it was.

They were heading back to the academy for reasons unknown. At least, to Louise.

Guiche was escorting Montmorency back to her home. Probably to sort things out… and probably to avoid the fact that the Heavy Wind would hold her reliable for what had happened to Louise.

Considering what had happened the last time… Guiche probably thought it was better to not risk anything.

Tabitha had vanished sometime in the middle of the night. From what Kirche told them, the smaller girl seemed to be having family issues and was heading home to Gallia to resolve them.

That just left the group of Kirche, Siesta, Emiya, and Louise heading back to Tristain.

It was a leisurely travel. Unlike the fast-paced adventuring and essentially hands-free treatment Emiya had given them all in the past few days, he was taking them on a leisurely trip back. Days passed in idleness, wandering around and enjoying the scenery. Before they knew it, a week had already passed since they left Ragdorian Lake.

And the entire way, Emiya had routinely paused to take look at the surroundings, a strange expression on his face each time.

Again, Louise couldn't determine why that was. Why he seemed to be so…

"Louise."

Kirche's sudden voice casued her to jump.

"Zerbst! You… don't do that."

She frowned at Kirche.

Kirche smiled at her and said, "Come now, Louise. We've moved past all of that now, haven't we? Let's let bygones be bygones and talk."

Louise frowned, but noted begrudgingly that Kirche had a point. With what they had gone through recently and with how Kirche had stood by her recently, it was somewhat petty to keep holding grudges.

"…Fine. What did you want?"

"Can't a girl talk to her childhood friend? We haven't had a chat in a long time, haven't we?"

"Hah. If you call trying to trick each other being friends then I guess."

"Hey, I wasn't that bad… was I?"

Louise sighed. "Yes. Yes you were. Now, what were you talking about?"

"Emiya is acting a bit strange, isn't he?"

"…You've noticed too?"

The pair of girls stared at Emiya.

The silver-haired swordsman was standing with Siesta. The two of them were talking with each other, and Emiya's reactions were… different? Before he looked at Siesta with a familiar but distant gaze, but now he stared at her with… fond rememberance?

"…There hasn't been anything going on between them, has there?" Louise asked.

"Not that I know of? The only time they were together was when they were taking care of you."

"Strange…"

Kirche laughed. "Maybe he's fallen for her?"

Louise stared at Emiya again. That look in his eyes… it wasn't love. It was fondness like… seeing a long lost friend. No, more like meeting someone from your home town by chance.

Louise sighed. "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter."

She turned her attention back to Kirche. "The bigger question is… why are you still here, Kirche?"

"Hm?" Kirche raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Like in Germania? Your family is caught up in all this, isn't it?"

Kirche shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They won't care too much. The more important question is what's going to happen to you, Louise."

"Me?"

Kirche nodded. "…You can sense it right? War is coming soon. After that invasion in Tarbes, it's an occurrence that could break out with every day and your mother is the Heavy Wind. When that happens, she'll be on the front lines of it all. Initially, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that you've summoned Emiya and it's known that he could match her…"

Louise contemplated that.

She hadn't thought about it.

"You will have to choose pretty soon, Louise. Are you going to let Emiya fight for your sake? Or are you going to fight for yourself?"

"I-?"

Before Louise could answer, they arrived at the academy walls.

The academy was empty, save for a few stragglers.

Emiya glanced around. It hadn't changed since the last time he saw it. That included the fact that there weren't any sneaky bounded fields lying in wait.

That was the first thing he checked for when they arrived. Twice had already been one time too many, and he wouldn't allow a third.

In any case, there weren't any bounded fields, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything he hadn't noticed until that point.

"So it's like I thought," Emiya muttered.

A sense of familiarity that he could only realize now that he remembered.

The group walked inside the academy. Before long, Mr. Colbert emerged to greet them. "Miss Valliere! Welcome back." His gaze shifted to Emiya and he gave a slight nod. "Mr. Shirou." After similar greetings to Kirche and Siesta, Mr. Colbert said, "What brings you all back to the academy? School won't be in session for… quite a long time."

Emiya stepped forward and said, "Is the Headmaster present?"

"…Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Good. Tell him I'm going to be inspecting the academy's vault."

"Wait-"

With just those words, Emiya was gone.

He vanished in an instant and reappeared before the vault. The place that had been broken into. While there wasn't any damage to the doors, Emiya had a strange sense of déjà vu. One that he now knew the reason for.

Emiya opened the door and walked inside. At once, protective spells and restrictive formations emerged to bar his way. But with a casual wave of his hand, they faded. Stepping deeper inside, he found what he was looking for.

It was obscure and hidden away. A minor rusted sword that didn't have any meaning. It held an edge that wouldn't cut even a piece of bread, let alone a person. But it was that rusted sword that drew his attention instead of the countless other artifacts before him.

He took a deep breath and then walked over to it. Picking the sword up, a burst of memories flickered through his mind. And then, it was clear what he had to do.

He quietly placed the sword back in his inner world and walked off.

His thoughts were in disarray. But in spite of that, one person was on his mind.

"Louise…"

A decision was at hand.

"…I'm going to fight in the war."

Louise stood before Emiya.

They were in her room again. After all they had gone through, it was a bit strange to be there. Though she had changed, though time had passed, that place had remained the same. The only differences were in the people there.

Siesta was dressed in her maid outfit once more, but emblazoned with the Valliere coat of arms to signify her status. It was to prevent another occasion like Count Mott from occurring again, as well as to improve her status of living while there in the academy.

"I see." Emiya's reply was short and curt. "So it's come to this after all." He stared at her with those piercing silver eyes of his.

When they first met, he had towered above her. Now, the difference between them wasn't so large.

Louise couldn't speak. Like the first time she saw those eyes, she was spellbound.

After a moment of silence, Emiya said, "May I ask why?"

Those words broke the spell, and Louise focused on her task. "…Princess Henrietta has asked me to help lead the vanguard in a preemptive strike against the Albion forces."

The words came freely and with ease from her lips. A clinical report, completely unlike what she would usually say to Emiya.

Stop me. Argue against it.

But Emiya didn't say anything. Instead, he let out a soft sigh. "Is it because of me?"

Louise was silent that time.

"I thought so. A void mage is what they want, isn't it? Overwhelming firepower to defy the odds… no, a symbol, is it? A figurehead to raise the morale of a flagging nation." Emiya sighed. "No matter what I say, you're going to follow through?"

No. If you argue…

But Emiya didn't show any signs of resistance. If anything, he seemed… resigned to the course of action.

"…Yes."

"Then what did you want me to say? Why come to me now?"

So that you can stop me.

"Because I…"

Emiya smiled. "After all, my answer is obvious. You can't expect that I'll let you go off by yourself, do you?"

"Emiya?"

Emiya patted her head. Although she wasn't as short as she used to be, for some reason, that hand still seemed large and reliable. "You might have grown up a little, but that doesn't mean I'll let you go off on your own just yet. Not until you've got a few more battles under your belt at least."

Louise didn't know what to say. Countless emotions welled in her chest. Gratitude, relief, happiness. In the end, she blinked to hide her watery eyes and simply nodded.

Emiya smiled and grabbed her hand. "Come on. If you want to fight in a war, we'll need to get some things ready. It's your first time, so I'll guide you through it. Don't worry! As long as I'm in this world, you'll have nothing to fear."

"…Alright."

And like that, Louise let go of her worries, trusting in that reliable and warm hand holding her own.

…At the same time, she squashed the strange anxiety she felt in the depths of her chest and ignored the strange premonition that this would be one of the last times she could rely on Emiya to protect her.

This the Tiger Dojo. Take the advice?

Note. Tiger Dojo is a strange hint corner. If you would like to finish the story by yourself, or if you would like to keep the characters' images, please be warned.

1. Yes

2. No

"*Cough* So… much… dust…" Taiga winced and waved a fan around, trying to clear the air. However, all it did was scatter more dust around.

"Sensei… would you… stop…?"

Ilya panted, trying to get a clear breath of air. However, that was near impossible with almost a year's worth of dust lying around.

In the end, after a couple hours of painful wheezing and fanning with all the windows and doors thrown wide open, the hosts of the Tiger Dojo were finally able to breathe.

"Phew… I knew that the Wizard wanted to kill us off a phew times in the past, but this is cruel."

"Yeah!" Ilya pouted and glared at the sky. "At least kill us off properly! Dying to dust bunnies is too cruel!"

"Anyway," Taiga said, "Welcome back to the Tiger Dojo!"

"Long time no see, Reader-san!"

Taiga nodded. "Indeed. It would have been much sooner, but apparently the Wizard forgot we existed. Something about A Meaningless Hero and something called Royalroad… but let's just forget about that for now. We're here to talk about the chapter, not that selfish wizard trying to kill us off with neglect."

"Yeah. Anyway, sensei, what's with that weird temple thing they found? It looks like they were talking about Emiya there, weren't they?"

"Indeed they were, my dear disciple! And if you look reeal close at the events in this chapter, you can find out why it's there."

"…I'm not seeing it."

"-Ehem. Let's just say that the Summon Servant spell can't summon dead things and leave it at that."

"Hah? How does that help at all?"

"Fine, fine. Emiya said it himself this chapter didn't he? That it wouldn't be the first time Rin sent him out to some random world in her experiments?"

Ilya nodded. "Right."

"Well, he thought they were random… but what if they weren't? And what if Emiya had been to one world in particular multiple times, thinking they were different? But really, the only difference was the time?"

"…But what would be the point of that?"

"…I'm not sure either. The Wizard isn't being too clear with us on that. But apparently it has something to do with Rin tricking Emiya into believing something happened when it really didn't."

"…Huh," Ilya said. "I still don't get what Tohsaka pulled here. I mean, it looks like she has something to do with Rin, but what's with all of the weird things that Emiya's remember? And what exactly did he remember that's making him act so… weird?"

"Who knows? That's for Reader-san to guess and for the Wizard to… figure out? Hey, what do you mean figure out? You should know by now! …Oh. Multiple drafts? Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Er… sensei?"

Taiga shook her head. "Whatever. Anyway, onto the next main topic: the love potion incident."

"Oh, right! Yeah, that seemed really forced, didn't it?"

"It did. Apparently, there was supposed to be more adventuring scenes but the Wizard got tired of writing them since they all seemed to be the same and scrapped it all. The potion incident was supposed to take place after a bit more drama in the group, but he thought it was contrived and so just hamfisted it in earlier."

"…Did it even need to happen?"

"Well, apparently it was either that or jump straight into the war. The problem was that too little time had passed, so he needed a way to pad things out."

"…But the potion incident took place in the span of a single day?"

"…"

"…"

"…Anyway, that's all the time we have for this chapter's Tiger Dojo! I'll see you next time, Reader-san! Hopefully the Wizard doesn't forget about us again and takes a few months between each release instead of a year!"

"Bye, Reader-san! Try not to get too angry at unreliable Wizard-san!"

End Tiger Dojo.