This Is My Holy Grail War [129]

Saber soared amidst the clouds, her expression grave. The pressure radiating from Berserker rivaled that of Gilgamesh.

Another formidable enemy.

Saber tallied her mental calculations. The Red Faction boasted three Servants, all of extraordinary power. On her side, there were also three who could match them: Chiron could face Achilles, she herself could hold off Karna, and Vlad III, bolstered by the land’s blessing, was more than capable of matching Berserker.

But even if these three were neutralized, what then?

The opposing Saber, Mordred, remained unstoppable, as did their Archer. While those two might not have been the most powerful Heroic Spirits Saber had encountered, her own faction’s Servants lagged behind in both quality and numbers.

Saber’s evaluation was cautious. Even with her immense mana supply, she deemed the Black Faction at a severe disadvantage.

But could the Holy Grail War truly follow the rigid rules of a mere game? The supposed 7v7 format had already been disrupted from the start. This thought brought a subtle, sly smile to the lips of the hooded Caster-like Saber—a witch’s grin.

Berserker’s Master reminded her of herself, though there were differences. Saber didn’t have three years to live. If she failed to claim the Holy Grail, she would endure an agonizing death. For her, life amounted to only seven fleeting days.

Saber clung desperately to her pursuit of survival. It was her sole ambition. And yet, she didn’t see this as a small dream. Even the great Conqueror King Iskandar sought the same, didn’t he?

The homunculus before her seemed oblivious to such truths, instead blindly pursuing the meaning of existence. He wanted to contribute something to the world, even though he couldn’t even guarantee his own survival. Despite everything, he still sought to leave his mark.

Saber wasn’t sure how to judge him. Yet, his gaze seemed to be filled with admiration—or perhaps trust. At the time, Saber hadn’t thought much of pulling the homunculus from the brink of death. Now, it seemed her small act of mercy had earned her an unlikely ally.

“What do you think the meaning of living is?” Saber asked, her robes billowing as she hovered above. With a wave of her hand, the violent, chaotic mana lingering in the air dissipated, the remnants of colliding magic cannons and Noble Phantasms vanishing as if following her command.

The distorted light, visible even to mundane human eyes, smoothed out, the chaos subdued. The forceful mana seemed to bend to Saber’s will.

“I don’t know,” the homunculus admitted, tilting his head back to look at her. He was honest, his simplicity evident in every word. Having lived such a short existence, he had neither guile nor artifice. In Saber’s presence, he laid bare his every thought.

Berserker, by contrast, remained cold and unyielding, his watchful hostility toward Saber never wavering.

“Have you encountered any of the Red Faction’s Servants?” Saber asked, her tone curious.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Doing what?”

“Waiting for you,” he replied, his words direct.

“Why?” Saber didn’t believe herself worth such a gesture.

“You saved me. You gave me a chance to live,” the homunculus explained. “I’ve spent this time thinking deeply, searching for a purpose. I don’t know what the meaning of living is, so I wanted to ask someone I could trust—someone who might know. At the very least, I want to accomplish something meaningful in these three years.”

The homunculus spoke incessantly, his words spilling out as if he feared silence. He seemed almost giddy in Saber’s presence. “I asked Berserker, but he said he’s just a weapon. He’s searching, too. So I thought… Who in this world could help me? Other than the Rider who aided my escape, there’s only you—the one who saved me in my darkest hour.”

“I see.” Saber appraised him anew, noting the purity in his thoughts. Strangely, though, she felt no trace of a soul within him.

Having long interacted with Heroic Spirits, Saber recognized that this homunculus was akin to the creations of the Einzbern family, though unlike Illyasviel. He was a being with personality but no soul.

“Do you wish to continue living? Three years is not brief, but compared to an ordinary human lifespan, it is short,” Saber asked.

“I don’t know.”

Saber saw the confusion clouding his mind. Her gaze shifted to Berserker, who remained on guard. Defeating him seemed nearly impossible in the short term.

Sensing her doubt, Berserker spoke. “I cannot allow you to harm the forest further. My apologies.”

“Do you know,” Saber began, descending slowly from the sky. Though she kept a safe distance from Berserker, her hostility faded as she addressed the homunculus. “Most people in this world are born insignificant. They live their entire lives without leaving a mark on history.”

The homunculus nodded hesitantly, unsure if he fully understood.

“But all of them share one desire. It’s light as a feather, insignificant to most, yet it drives them forward.”

With deliberate care, Saber removed her hood, revealing Medea’s breathtakingly beautiful face under the sunlight.

Ignoring Berserker’s sharp gaze, she stepped closer to the homunculus.

The boy’s youthful features were filled with innocence and uncertainty. After a long pause, he spoke tentatively, “What… are you planning to do?”

Saber didn’t answer. Instead, she crouched silently and began to brush aside the earth beneath her.

Thanks to Berserker’s careful protection, the ground was largely unscathed. For a Berserker, his care for the land was unusual, almost tender.

Yet, even with his caution, the dense magical energy suffused into the soil had suffocated much of the life it contained, drowning it like overabundant fertilizer.

Saber dug through the dirt with her fingers, and after a moment, she lifted a struggling ant from the ground.

—

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!