This wasn't Artoria's first time experiencing spatial transfer Magecraft, so she was calm enough to take in her surroundings more carefully.
She had initially assumed it was a spell Morgan could cast without incantation, but the truth was that it was Tenkei Shiomi's specialty.
Both Kiritsugu and Irisviel had misread the situation.
"Flowers?"
That wasn't the only change. During the transfer, Artoria noticed something different.
The form of the magic had changed. Previously it had manifested as crows—this time, it was flower petals, carrying the scent of spring.
"Is something wrong?" Shiomi asked, already checking the familiar wound on his shoulder.
Artoria shook her head. "Just a little surprised. The crow-formed barrier reminded me of the Fisher King from my era."
"You mean the crippled one who lived in seclusion and used crows as his familiars?" Shiomi asked, catching on quickly.
"That's right. His daughter was the mother of Galahad, one of my Knights of the Round Table." A trace of helplessness and sorrow passed over Artoria's face.
Lancelot, Galahad's father... and Guinevere—they were all tied to the downfall of the Round Table.
Even so, Artoria had never blamed any of them.
No one was at fault.
And because no one was at fault, she had sought the Holy Grail—to change the fate that led to such an ending.
"The form of the transfer Magecraft reflects my mood. Since I've got the rare honor of assisting the legendary King Arthur, I figured as a Magus, I might as well act the part of that flower-tossing Magus, Merlin," Shiomi said.
Artoria gave a wry smile. "Well... you don't resemble Merlin in the slightest."
"I'm not an incubus," Shiomi replied, his smile fading.
As they exchanged a few short lines, the teleportation spell completed. The two were now deep within the forest, more than five kilometers from Einzbern Castle.
To Caster, they had walked right into his trap.
But from the other side's perspective, the ambush had worked—they'd lured Caster into exactly the situation they wanted.
"Tch... We're too late?" Shiomi clicked his tongue, his voice cold, eyes brimming with hatred and fury.
The children they'd seen earlier through the crystal ball—every last one of them—were dead.
Even with the fastest transfer, less than thirty seconds had passed, yet all those lives had been claimed by the Holy Grail War.
The air was thick with the stench of fresh blood, and the forest floor was strewn with small corpses—grisly proof that just moments ago, those children had been alive.
"Welcome, Jeanne. I knew swift action would bring results."
Caster stood in the middle of the carnage, smiling broadly, facing Artoria who now gripped her weapon in barely contained rage.
He was proud of this grand feast he had orchestrated. His smile oozed self-satisfaction. The black robes draped over his body were soaked in the blood of the sacrifices, making their crimson sheen all the more vivid.
"What do you think of this horrific scene? Heartbreaking, isn't it? It's tragic, isn't it? Can you imagine the pain these innocent children felt as they died? But Jeanne—compared to what I've done since losing you, this... this doesn't even begin to count as a tragedy."
Caster's tone was disturbingly calm, as if he were boasting of his accomplishments while describing the massacre before them.
"You bastard!"
Shiomi didn't want to hear another word from Caster. Mana surged in his palm—he was ready to unleash a blast.
To stay indifferent in the face of this would only mean becoming numb, detached.
He was going to kill him in a single shot.
Even if it meant revealing more of his abilities, Shiomi didn't care.
If it had been Sakura or Caren among those children, he would've already lost control.
The last two years of peaceful life hadn't been a lie—he truly loved those two. That's why his rage now was unstoppable.
"Wait!"
Artoria grabbed Shiomi's right hand, even though she too was seething with fury.
As if oblivious to Shiomi's anger, Caster gazed at Saber with twisted delight, a sticky smile spreading across his face.
"Oh, Jeanne! Your eyes, burning with rage—they're absolutely beautiful!"
The reason Artoria stopped Shiomi from releasing his Magecraft was now clear—hidden beneath Caster's robe...
...was the last surviving child among the hostages.
The child was still being held under Caster's arm, sniffling, crying. This deranged Servant had deliberately left one alive—not out of mercy, but to use as a human shield.
If Shiomi had fired that spell, it would have severely wounded Caster—but the child would've been reduced to ash.
"Let go of that child!" Artoria shouted. "Monster!"
Shiomi clenched his teeth and changed the shape of the mana in his hand.
"You hate me that much? Of course you do. How could you forgive me for turning my back on God's love? You were once the most devout of all in your worship!"
"This war is meant to choose the Heroic Spirit worthy of the Holy Grail. If you fight in ways unworthy of a Heroic Spirit, the Grail will cast you aside. And now that you've already been revived, what use do you have for it? Still... if you, Jeanne, are that desperate to save this one child—"
To their surprise, Caster released the child, letting him stand on his own.
"Come now, little one, rejoice. A devout servant of God says she'll save you. That all-powerful God has finally shown mercy. But just so you know—all your other friends are dead."
The child, too overwhelmed to comprehend what was happening, clung to the one hope he saw—Saber. Wailing, he ran toward Artoria and clutched at the folds of her skirt.
Shiomi gently rested his hand on the boy.
"Listen, it's dangerous here. Run, straight ahead—you'll see a big castle. Go there and ask for help."
As Artoria crouched to comfort the panicked child with as much tenderness as she could muster, Caster looked momentarily puzzled.
"Oh?"
Just then, Saber sensed a fluctuation in magical energy. Looking down, she realized—the child had lost consciousness.
"What did you do?" she demanded, instantly suspecting Shiomi's touch.
"Using children as sacrifices for Magecraft... You really are the lowest of the low," Shiomi sneered as he turned back to Caster, eyes narrowed.
"Too bad. I'm a Magus too. As long as my rune is engraved on him, he can't be used as a sacrifice in any spell."
"Grrraaaaah! You bastard! You ruined everything!"
Caster's shriek tore through the misty forest like a blade, fury boiling over.
But clearly, the one child wasn't his only intended sacrifice.
The others—the ones already slaughtered—had been sacrificed too.
From the blood that soaked the ground, a dozen writhing, dark green sea demons slithered out, their forms birthed from the children's remains. They quickly surrounded Shiomi and Artoria.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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