Part 70: Charming white eyes

""
I sit on the bench sluggishly.
I came to a deserted place as I wished to.
Now that I'm here, I must decide what to do.

There are no choices that allow me to postpone the problem.
If I am to end the Holy Grail War by defeating other Masters, I need Saber to stay.
No, even without that, I don't want her to disappear.
But that means…
Having Saber attack people, like Rider did.







Saber wants to be forced.

""
I bite my lip and discard the ridiculous thought.
I don't know how long I remained slumped on this bench.
But just as my fingers start to tremble from the cold…

Music: Surrounded by Smiling Faces

"Oh!
I thought you were gone already, but you're here!"
I'm suddenly called.



"Ilya…? You're here by yourself again?"
It's dangerous, you never know when the other Masters"


As I start to say that, I'm amazed at my stupidity.
Ilya is a Master too.
I shouldn't be worrying about this, and anyway, aren't we enemies?

"…Sorry. I can't afford to talk to you right now. We were lucky to see each other, but I can't talk with you. It's going to get cold today, so you should go home."

Sitting down on the bench, I dismiss Ilya.
…There are things I need to talk to her about, but I have my hands full with Saber right now.


""
…?
What's going on?
Ilya doesn't say anything and she just stares at me as if I'm a stranger.

"…Ilya…?
No, I'm not trying to be mean to you. I'm really busy right now, and"



Music: Stop

Suddenly.
The girl in front of me says this coldly as if she is someone else.

"Ilya…?"


"It's stupid to worry about such things. That's why you let Rider's Master escape. All you have to do with the loser is to kill them."

I move my legs.
I know it's bad to stay sitting down, so I put my power in them to stand up.
But.
My body does not move as if entranced by Ilya.

Music: Footsteps of Destruction

"Ilya, howdo you know about that?"



"!"
I try to move my arms and legs, but they won't move at all.
No, it feels like they're stiffening the more I put power into them.
It's those eyes.
Looking into Ilya's red eyes is making my body go numb and



I knew Shirou was overly optimistic about how they last parted.

You know you don't have any protection, right? I thought it would be easy to capture you if you're alone, but you're so cute falling for it this easily."

"Ilya, yo… u"


"It's useless, Onii-chan. You won't be able to move now.
You won't even be able to speak soon, but you don't need to worry.
I didn't come here today to talk either."

Murderous intent mixes into Ilya's gaze.
This is the same Ilya as that night, when she was the Master of Berserker.

"Guh…! Are you going to kill me here…!?"
Gritting my teeth, I gather all my strength.
But I can't even twitch my fingers.
Every nerve in my body is wrapped by Ilya's stare.



Once your means of fighting is gone, I can kill you easily."

Ilya raises her hand.
Her white slender fingers touch my chest.







Music: Stop



Hey, I was watching that.

My vision fades.
Sensation in my limbs is already gone, and now my vision is gone as well.
…How long has it been since I fell into this darkness?
While I wonder whether or not I'm dead, my consciousness fades away.

Music: Whirlpool of Fate 2





…She's right.
I can't fight at all without Saber.
The Holy Grail War is a battle between Servants.
I cannot possibly match one of those Servants.
That fact has been proven many times already.





That fact is so vexing that it makes me mad.
I could not stop the disaster occurring around me just because the one in front of me was unbeatable.
Even though I chose to fight,
I chose to fight as a Master to stop people getting hurt, but I could not protect them.

It pisses me off.
The superhero I've admired since childhood always has to win or it's meaningless.





Suddenly.
I remember the back of the man who said those words.

Now is not the time to be thinking about Archer's backside.



I know.
I realize that more than ever now.



"If Archer were here, I could beat it easily…"

…He doesn't need to tell me something I already know.
If I am going to win, it'll only be in my head.
But what could I win with?
I can't imagine myself beating a Servant.
I can't handily deceive myself, and an image created by deceiving myself will be full of flaws.
There's no way I would be able to match a Servant, a first-class illusion, with such a third rate image.

Music: Stop





Music: Quiet Voice

searching for the answer even now.
A golden sword.
It's a sword for her alone.
I don't want it myself.
It's just beautiful.
I just want to hold it in my hands, if it's permitted.

There's so much gay in this update, Shirou's going to have to get it on with two women just to set things straight.

…Geez, it's a bad habit for an amateur magus.
Since all I can do is examine the contents, I see such dreams unsuitable for my position.
Butif this is a dream, I should be allowed to at least think about it.

He knows it's forbidden, yet he's still tempted.



First, I assume the basic structure and reproduce the composing material.
…Oh, the basic form from when I use the strengthening magic isn't enough as I thought.
Strengthening is changing something that's already there, so it's meaningless with something that isn't there at all.
So if I am to remember that sword, I have to put more effort into it.

It's well before the basics.
It's the process full of waste that I came up with before Kiritsugu taught me how to use the strengthening magic.

Um, it washow was it supposed to take shape…?

Music: Stop







The patterns on the wall aren't just wallpaper as they are actually engraved.
I'm used to mansions like Shinji's house, but this is on a different level.

You know, I've lost count by this point.

…It's embarrassing to say, but this is like a castle you'd read about in fairy tales.

"…!"
My mind almost falls unconscious.
My body is strangely heavy.
Is my blood circulating poorly? I feel like I'll fall asleep again if I let my guard down.

"Umm… What happened?"
I try to remember with my hazy mind.
I… oh yeah, I was bound by Ilya and lost consciousness.

"…So I'm caught by Ilya, huh?"
No one is in the room.
My body feels heavy, but it seems I could at least raise my arm

"Whoa, I'm tied up!?"

Why does the loli have a BDSM fetish?

My dazed mind instantly awakens.
Realizing the danger I'm in, I study my situation first.

"…I'm sitting in a chair and my hands are behind my back… handcuffs… no, they're just tied with rope."
I'm not in the worst condition, but it makes no difference to the fact that I cannot move.
My body is still numb, and I can't even get up with my hands tied.

"…How long has it been…? Clock… no, I don't see one as I expected."
There is no clock in the room.
The window is… behind me.
I turn around as much as I can, but the curtain is draped over it and I can't quite tell what's outside.
But the sun has already set outside.
I met Ilya in the morning, so that means at least half a day has passed.

"……"
I can't be doing this now.
I don't know where I am, but I have to go home to Saber as quickly as I can.
…Saber is weakening.
I can't trouble her by letting her know I've been kidnapped.

"Mn!"
I pull at my hands.
Even if I am to run away, I have to do something about the rope tied behind my back first

"…!?"
The door opens.
I release my power at the same moment as she walks in.

Music: Tender Scenery



Ilya is acting totally different from before.
Her cold eyes are gone and the Ilya before me is the white girl who was talking to me in that park the other day.



She looks at me, tilting her head.
…It looks like she's just worried about me.

"…I'm fine. I can talk and my head's clear enough to know that I've been captured."
I glare at Ilya.



But I felt bad about doing that to you, so I brought you into my room as a special exception."

whyyyy

Ilya looks displeased.
I don't know if I should be thankful or not.
…But anyway, I'm starting to understand the situation I'm in.

"…I get the situation. I'm captured and this is your place, right?"
I say so sharply, killing my emotions.
As long as I don't know the full details of the situation, I should listen for now.


"That's right. I told you before that I live in a castle in the forest.



"I see.
I get that, but why did you do it?
If you wanted to kill me, you could have done so at the park."


"Why? I don't intend to kill you, Shirou. You're mine. I'll kill the other Masters, but you're special.
That's why I locked you up here, so there won't be any interruptions."





"!"
I automatically lean back.
Ilya puts her face close to mine as if not caring about my feelings.

Music: Stop

"H-Hey, Ilya…!"
I know it's indiscreet, but my heart's beating fast from the weight of Ilya on my legs.
Even though she's not heavy, she feels so alive that I can't think straight



"Yeah, like I thought, Shirou is special.
…Hey, do you want to become my Servant? If you're going to be my Servant, I won't have to kill you. All you have to do is nod, and I can spare you."

DEATH! WE ACCEPT DEATH!

She says so in a fawning voice.
This is nothing half-hearted.
Ilya's words are so pure that I won't be able to take it back if I nod.
…And if I do betray her, all her purity would probably turn into hatred.

With Ilya so close to me, my confused mind freezes.
This isn't just that she likes me.
Ilya's question is asking me if I want to live or die.

"You don't even need to think about it, right? You don't have Saber already. You don't have any way to fight.
So it'll be useless to stay as a Master now."

"No. Saber hasn't disappeared yet. I won't let that happen."

"Oh yeah? But she'll be killed easily in her condition.
It's fine, you can just stay here. If you're going to stay here forever, I'll protect you forever too."

Ilya snuggles up to me.
I don't even have the freedom to push her away.
…I don't know what will happen if I disobey her.
But I still can't nod to Ilya's words.




"Geez, you don't get it, do you?
Look, you're just a bird in a cage right now. It's my decision if you live or not, so you shouldn't say anything to make me mad.
…I've waited for 10 years. It's too boring just to kill you here, right?"


"Wha?"
Her voice sounds like a girl who wants a toy.
I gasp, sensing a cruelty that sends a chill up my spine.


"This is your last chance, Onii-chan. I'll ask you one more time."
She looks up at me, full of hope.
"Shiroube mine."
Ilya says so as if allowing no refusal.



What the fuck is WRONG with Nasu?!