Cú Chulainn.
I frowned, staring at the man in front of me.
Obviously, I knew this guy. He appeared in all three routes of Fate/Stay Night.
But…
Why the hell was he summoned as a Caster? Man, weren't you supposed to be a Lancer?
I tilted my head to the side, thinking about it.
Meanwhile, Mash instantly stepped between the newly arrived Servant and his Master, ready to protect him.
"Tsk! Another Servant?" Nobunaga rolled her eyes, looking at Cú Chulainn with disdain.
But Cú Chulainn didn't care one bit about Nobunaga's gaze. Smiling, he opened his mouth, "You're quite the cutie…"
Before he could finish the sentence, a musket fired, striking just inches from his feet.
"Okay! Okay! I'll leave you alone, madam." Cú Chulainn raised his hands in surrender, a carefree smile on his face.
Olga, wrapped in the Monkey King Robe, stepped forward to stand beside me. "What is your intention?" Even though she seemed slightly unsure, she looked directly at him, trying to maintain composure.
"My intentions are pure, lady." Cú Chulainn tilted his head, his red eyes glowing intensely.
Ignoring his words, I stepped forward, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Why the hell are you a Caster?" The question had been hammering in my mind from the start. "This makes no sense. You're Cú Chulainn, you should be a Lancer." I pointed at him, my voice full of indignation.
Cú Chulainn looked surprised by my question.
"Oh! You know me well." He nodded, putting his fingers on his chin. "I agree with you, buddy. This doesn't suit me at all, but I was summoned in this class and suddenly lost my awesome spear," he said with a completely sad expression.
"That's a shame." I shook my head, as if the world had lost its meaning. Though Berserker might suit him too, Cú Chulainn was never meant for any class other than Lancer.
"Honestly, that doesn't matter. What matters is that he's one of the few 'normal' Servants and he's not against us." Nobunaga, arms crossed, squinted at Cú Chulainn with suspicion. "Where's your Master?"
"Obviously dead," Cú Chulainn shrugged, as if talking about undercooked meat. "My goal is simple: kill Saber." He pointed at us, winking.
"Why haven't you done it yet?" Olga crossed her arms, challenging him.
"It's not that simple. Saber alone managed to defeat six of the seven other Servants summoned for the Holy Grail War. I'm the only one left. Besides, Saber is probably being protected by Archer and Berserker, who together guard the Greater Grail, the source of all this chaos."
"Greater Grail!?" Ritsuka tilted her head, confused.
I had no idea what that was either. I knew about the Holy Grail, but the Greater Grail was completely new to me.
"Girl, I have no clue either, but from what I know, the Greater Grail was designed to reach the Root, serving as the foundation of the Holy Grail War system… or something like that."
It sounded pretty complicated. The fact that it was designed to reach the Root—a metaphysical place that acts as the "force" at the top of all theories across all dimensions—was already quite absurd.
I raised my hand, massaging my temple, deciding not to dwell on it for now.
"This is boring." Nobunaga yawned, clearly uninterested, turning away and vanishing.
"She just left." Ritsuka commented, putting a finger near her lips.
"That's typical of her." I shrugged, unsurprised.
"A rather impressive lady. She'd make a fine Scot, but anyway, it seems we have an alliance." Cú Chulainn extended his hand to me with a relaxed smile.
Though he seemed like a nice guy and I sensed no abnormality in his words, I still glanced sideways, looking for input from my companions.
Olga frowned for a few seconds but then nodded, followed by Ritsuka.
"Sure, partner." I smiled, shaking his hand.
"Great! Now, would any of the Masters like to form a temporary contract with me?" he asked, looking at Ritsuka and me.
I had no interest in doing so, but I didn't want to burden her with two Servant contracts. Even if the second was temporary, it would still put pressure on her body.
But even with those thoughts, Ritsuka stepped forward. "If it's okay with Altair-kun, I would like to make that contract." There was a faint gleam of determination in her golden eyes.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, Altair-kun. I no longer want to be a burden. If this is something I can do, I'll gladly accept it."
Seeing the pure determination shining in her gaze, I couldn't help but smile.
"If that's how it is, who am I to say no." I just smiled at the girl.
"Perfect. Now, counting me, we have three Noble Phantasms on our team…"
"Sorry, I can't use mine."
"Me neither."
Mash and I said at the same time, making Cú Chulainn's expression twist.
"Are you serious!?" Olga turned to us, shocked.
"Yeah… I can't use my Noble Phantasm," Mash said timidly, lowering her gaze.
"For sure, my Noble Phantasms are sealed." I shrugged, making the Ruyi Jingu shrink and vanish. Now, I could summon it whenever I wanted.
"That makes things a bit harder for us, but I can teach you how to use your Noble Phantasms…"
"I refuse." I said, turning around and walking toward one of the buildings.
"What!?"
"Senpai?"
"I'm the type who prefers to learn in real danger, but having a teacher will be good for you, Mash. If you need me, I'll be resting for a bit." Without saying anything else, I walked toward my Servant, leaving the group speechless behind me.
•••
I jumped to the rooftop of a ruined house, my eyes instantly finding my Servant, who was staring at the red sky. Nobunaga seemed lost in thought.
"Does this bring back any memories?" I asked, landing softly on the roof and walking toward her.
"Different sky, same old war," she replied, not taking her eyes off the horizon.
Nobunaga had taken part in various campaigns. Considering she was known as the one who nearly unified all of Japan, it made sense.
"Why did you follow me?" She turned her head in my direction, resting her cheek on her knee.
"I just needed a quiet place to rest."
"And you thought next to me was ideal, you fool." She gave a mocking smile, clearly amused.
"Of course. I trust you and feel at peace by your side. Also, I like your scent."
"My scent?" She frowned, looking at me strangely.
"Yes. You smell like Higanbana."
"..."
"Hahaha! You're comparing my scent to a flower associated with death?" Her lips curled into a sinister, almost cynical smile.
I shook my head. "Usually, Higanbanas don't have much of a scent, but the well-cultivated ones have a light, slightly sweet fragrance, like incense with floral notes."
Hearing my explanation, she looked at me strangely.
Without minding her gaze, I turned and lay on the rooftop, resting my head on… Nobunaga's lap.
"..." Her expression stiffened for a second, clearly not expecting someone to have the audacity to lie in her lap. The next moment, she placed her hands on the sides of my head, leaning forward, her eyes aligning perfectly with mine, her long hair cascading over me like a black waterfall.
"Do you know where you're lying?" she said, her red eyes half-lidded and a cold smile forming on her lips.
"On Oda Nobunaga's lap. Any problem with that?" I replied, utterly unconcerned.
Her red eyes blinked at my words.
"I don't know if you're brave or just dumb." Her fingers pressed harder into my head, almost as a warning.
"Both." With a slight grin, I enjoyed the comfort of her thighs. As a man of culture, I appreciated a good pair of female thighs.
"A rather strange retainer." Nobunaga withdrew her hands and tilted her head upward.
"Retainer!? I thought I was your Master," I smiled at her, teasing.
"Does it matter?"
"Not really. I just know you're mine."
"Mine, huh?" She didn't seem to mind my words, but there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes. "By the way, the Servant linked to you is Sun Wukong, right?"
"Yes." I answered, a bit surprised.
"The Victorious Buddha." She gave a sarcastic smile, as if the idea amused her.
Oh, right. Oda Nobunaga never liked deities. She was always irreverent toward religious matters. One story from her life says that at her father's funeral in 1551, Nobunaga acted outrageously by tossing ceremonial incense at the altar. Not to mention the massacre at Mount Hiei, where she ironically earned her nickname "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven."
With that in mind, I turned to her. "You're not a big fan of Buddhism, are you?"
"Not exactly." Her hands touched my hair, almost as if playing with it. "I don't hate Buddhism or any religion. I just hate when people depend on deities. Besides, it was annoying when Buddhist monks interfered in politics and military affairs." Her fingers slid through my hair, as if lost in thought.
"That really was a pain, Nobu," I said in a sleepy state.
"Nobu!?" She tilted her head.
"A cute nickname."
She blinked her red eyes at me. "You're weird."
"A little. But what was it like growing up during the Sengoku period?" I asked curiously.
The Sengoku period was a time of conflict and political fragmentation in Japan.
"A wonderful era for people like us." She tilted her head, looking at me with a nostalgic glint in her eyes.
We stayed silent for several seconds, just staring at each other. Her eyes were extremely beautiful, almost hypnotic.
But suddenly, our silence was broken by a voice.
"Miller!?"
Hearing the voice, we turned to the side and saw the director climbing onto the roof effortlessly. After all, the Monkey King's Robe boosted her attributes.
Instantly, her eyes landed on me, lying in a woman's lap. Her expression turned strange, as if unsure how to react.
"Olga!" I raised my hand with a smile, snapping our dear director out of her trance.
"Cough!" She cleared her throat, brushing off the embarrassment.
"It's all right… How's Mash's training going?" I asked curiously.
"I'd say it's going well. Apparently, the Caster made a breakthrough in our efforts to discover her Noble Phantasm. They're on their way back now. Once they return, we'll make a plan based on the information Cú Chulainn provided." She spoke calmly and composed, trying to maintain her professional demeanor.
It seemed she had snapped out of her shock. She was more confident and mentally stable than before.
"Okay! I'll head down in a sec." I said, getting up from Nobunaga's beautiful lap, who didn't react at all.
"Uh… hmm…" Olga tried to say something, hesitating.
I tilted my head, waiting for her words.
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and after a moment said:
"Miller, I'd like to thank you for everything." She looked directly into my eyes, standing firm. "But it's time to return your cloak."
"Are you sure? I don't mind you keeping it a little longer."
"No." She shook her head, determined. "It's tempting to keep it, but it's yours." Olga stepped closer to me with an air of resolve.
"If that's what you want." I moved my hand, placing it gently on her head. Olga's cheeks flushed at my words, and she quickly averted her gaze. Meanwhile, the Monkey King's Robe dissolved into black threads, merging into my body without materializing. Obviously, I could summon it at any moment.
"I guess we should head down, then?" I smiled at her.
"Yes…"
Before she could finish, I grabbed her waist. "Miller!?" she exclaimed, blushing.
Without saying another word, I jumped to the ground as the director's scream echoed through the burning city. "Millerrr!"
••• ••• •••
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.
A/N: Cú Chulainn as a Caster is practically a crime! Give that man a lance!
(Cú Chulainn Caster - Character Image)