To become a king and a magician

“Mashu, actually, I was very scared when I was in France and Fuyuki City,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said. “Even though I didn’t participate in many battles in the end, and it was all you guys who did the work, and I was always the one being protected, I was still very scared.”

When Hinako Akuta's self-destruction triggered a cursed rain, nearly causing her to be cursed to death, she was terrified.

She was terrified when she faced King Solomon, the Magic King, and watched him summon four demonic pillars.

When she arrived in France and was surrounded by countless dragons, she was terrified.

......

Many times, almost every moment, even with many people around to protect her, Fujimaru Ritsuka was still afraid.

Mash's expression was somewhat apologetic: "I...I'm sorry, Senpai. I was too immature as a Servant and failed to protect you well. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, it's not Mashu's fault! You've protected me very well!" Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly waved her hand to comfort her. "Feeling scared is actually my own problem... If we fight, we'll definitely get hurt, right? In serious cases, we might even die."

"When I'm in battle, I can't stop thinking about this, and then... I can't stop feeling scared."

Fujimaru Ritsuka trembled slightly as she leaned against the railing.

Mashu didn't miss this small action.

"senior......"

"Hey, Mashu, are you ever scared?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked. "When you're fighting, are you afraid that you might get hurt or die?"

"I do not know."

After a moment of silence, Mashu spoke frankly: "I don't know what I was feeling during the battle. At that time, I was only thinking about how to deal with the enemy in front of me. If the enemy's attack was about to hit me, I would defend or dodge. If the enemy showed an opening, I would pursue... Basically, at that time, that was all I had in my mind."

"And the reason I have this idea is because of my senior."

"Me?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, puzzled. "Why?"

"Because... I want to protect my senior."

Mash answered seriously, "My class, Shielder, means shield bearer or protector, a class that excels in defense. And the true name of the Servant I fused with is Galahad, a Knight of the Round Table who sits on the Seat of Calamity. A knight must protect his master no matter what."

"Therefore, I want to protect my seniors."

"If that's the goal, then no matter who the enemy is, I think I can muster the courage to fight... Does that sound a bit strange?"

In the end, Mashu, who had been so serious, seemed unable to maintain her composure. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she reverted to the somewhat timid demeanor that Fujimaru Ritsuka was familiar with.

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said, "No, not at all. On the contrary, I think Mashu looks really cool. She really has the feel of a knight-errant—she even looks a bit like the captain."

(Does having someone you want to protect give you the courage to stop being afraid?)

(If I find something I want to protect, will I no longer be afraid?)

(So... what is it that I need to protect?)

73. Moving towards new singularities

In the two days that followed, nothing unusual happened at the Guanbuzi City singularity.

Just as Natsukawa Tora said, this singularity was incredibly safe, as if it had been completely unaffected by the incineration of humanity, and continued to live its life as before without any change.

As before, Fujimaru Ritsuka spent the last two days experiencing a routine that felt like it hadn't happened in a long time.

You can sleep until you naturally wake up in the morning without worrying about being suddenly dragged to hellish training. You can also freely do what you want at home, or contact your classmates and see them again after school.

For Fujimaru Ritsuka, these everyday routines, which were all too familiar to her, felt incredibly precious during these two days.

I want to go back to this kind of life.

This thought continued to linger in Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind.

Even though she knew in her heart that this was not the right idea, and that she still had things to deal with at Chaldea and the crisis of the burning of humanity had not yet been resolved, Fujimaru Ritsuka still couldn't help but want to do it.

Then, it was the evening of the third day after returning to Kanbuko City.

"Ritsuka, Ritsuka!"

"what?!"

At the Fujimaru family's dining table, Fujimaru Ritsuka was jolted awake when she heard her parents calling her name: "Dad? Mom? What's wrong? Why are you calling me like that all of a sudden?"

"It's because you've been sitting there for so long without moving," Fujimaru's mother asked with some concern. "Are you thinking about something? You look a little off; is something bothering you?"

"No, no."

Fujimaru Ritsuka forced a smile: "I just feel a little reluctant to leave because I'm going back to Chaldea tomorrow and I don't know when I'll be back again."

"Oh, I see. That's normal. You're only seventeen, it's definitely too early for you to be working overseas. Speaking of which, I haven't asked yet, what's your job like there? Is it going well? Have you encountered any difficulties at work?"

Upon hearing her mother's question, Fujimaru Ritsuka froze for a moment: "Uh... well... it's just..."

“Chaldea’s job is to monitor the Earth’s environment in real time and to send people to protect it as much as possible, Auntie,” Mashu explained with a smile. “In reality, it’s similar to being an environmental worker. My senior and I just went to France recently.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I went to a place in France called Vaucouleur.” Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly chimed in, “If all goes well, it went fairly well, because I had a very reliable senior and the captain took good care of me, so I didn’t encounter any difficulties… If I had to say, the training was a bit tough.”

"train?"

Fujimaru's father frowned in confusion: "Does Chaldea require training?"

"Yes, because there will be situations where we have to travel long distances, there will be physical requirements for field personnel. In addition, there is also the possibility of encountering dangerous wild animals in the wild, so we will also need to learn a certain level of wilderness survival skills."

"I see......"

Listening to Mashu's description, Fujimaru's parents both showed some surprise, while Fujimaru Ritsuka, who knew the situation, silently complained in her heart—Merry-sensei's "wilderness survival skills" training was simply too perverse.

"But Ritsuka should be fine, right?"

"Of course, honey. Our daughter's competitive spirit is second to none. If there's even the slightest thing she can't do better, she'll immediately try to surpass it. Right, Ritsuka?"

"Mom and Dad! Stop talking!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka blushed instantly at her parents' sudden praise, especially with Mashu present. She couldn't bear being praised by her family in front of familiar people; she was incredibly shy.

Seeing her daughter's blushing, shy expression, Fujimaru's mother smiled and asked, "So, you just said you're leaving tomorrow? When exactly?"

"We agreed that tomorrow at noon, a car would pick me up, and then I would fly to South America first, and finally take a ship back to Chaldea's Antarctic headquarters."

"It really is far, be careful on the road."

"It's okay, the road will be very safe, just as safe as here. Mom and Dad, you can rest assured."

"Also, be careful overseas. The outside world is still very dangerous. Don't try to be brave on your own. If you encounter difficulties, ask others for help. My daughter needs your help in this regard, Miss Mashu."

Upon hearing this, Mashu immediately nodded: "No, it's me. I've always received help from you, senior... Please rest assured, although I'm not mature enough yet, I will do my best to protect you, senior."

"Remember to call home occasionally, don't just go out and completely neglect your family."

Fujimaru's father also advised, "Next time you come back, don't do it like this time, suddenly returning without saying anything. At least let us know so we can wait for you at home."

"Anyway, you must remember one thing when you're away from home—your home is right here."

"Okay, I understand, Dad."

After a long silence, Fujimaru Ritsuka firmly agreed: "I will come back, absolutely."

(senior......)

"Oh right, if we're leaving tomorrow, I need to pack Ritsuka's luggage today—pajamas, a change of clothes, and a towel—Ritsuka, is there anything you need over there?"

"No need, Mom. I'm not taking any luggage with me, and I didn't bring anything back either. Mashu and I can just take someone with us."

Is that so?

"Well, you don't need to worry about that." Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled. "As for me... I'm fine now."

--------------------------------

The next day, at noon.

The Two Elements Family.

Arriving again in the black luxury sedan prepared by Ryougi Shiki, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately saw Natsukawa Torata, Root Shiki, Angelica, and— waiting for her not far away—

"teacher?!"

Looking at Atalanta standing next to Natsukawa Torata, carrying a small suitcase, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Sensei, what's going on here...?"

“I’ve temporarily resigned from my teaching job. Afterwards, I’ll be going to Chaldea, just like you all,” Atalanta explained. “While helping to deal with the Burning of Humanity, I’ll also continue to be your teacher—in combat.”

"Oh dear..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's face instantly fell.

Meanwhile, looking at the two returning, Natsukawa Toramaru and Root Shiki exchanged a glance, then smiled and said to Fujimaru Ritsuka, "Well then, now that Fujimaru and Mashu are back, let's prepare for the spirit particle transfer back. Fujimaru, once you get back, immediately begin the attack on the Second Singularity. I've given you time to rest, so I'm sure you're prepared."

“Yes, I’m ready, Captain,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said firmly. “I will work hard so that I can return to this place in the future.”

"That's good. By the way, when you get back, tell Roman that he will be in charge of the entire operation command during the second singularity because I'm not here. Also, tell Gray and Zero not to worry."

"Okay...wait, Minister, you're not here? Where are you going?"

Natsukawa Tora smiled and pointed to the horizon not far away: "Tokyo, or rather the capital city in Showa 20—we can't just leave the singularity there unattended, can we? We'll leave the second singularity to you and Akuta-senpai, and I'll take care of the one in the capital city. We'll just speed things up a bit."

"Minister, are you alright on your own? — It hurts!"

"Who do you take me for? It's not your place to worry about my safety." Natsukawa Torara flicked Fujimaru Ritsuka's forehead with his finger. "Besides, I'm not going alone. Angelica will be coming with me as my assistant."

"I see... I understand. I will tell Dr. Roman the truth."

Natsukawa Tora nodded: "That's settled then. See you at Chaldea again. I hope you'll have finished dealing with things over there by the time I get back—this time I won't be there to cover for you, so you'd better work hard on yourself, Fujimaru."

"I know!"

74. Imperial Capital Holy Grail War

Although I have explained it many times, I will repeat it here again.

The Holy Grail War.

It was a local ritual that took place in a city in a tiny country in the far east, and was led by a local Japanese magic family.

In pursuit of the legendary Holy Grail, a wish-granting machine capable of granting any desire, seven magicians summoned seven Servants to engage in a fierce battle in the modern world, until the last surviving master-servant pair claimed the Holy Grail.

Since the Holy Grail War began in Fuyuki City, it has been held five times. Although each Holy Grail War has evolved into many terrible situations due to various circumstances, the most serious impact of the five Holy Grail Wars was undoubtedly the Third Holy Grail War.

There is only one reason.

Because this is the Holy Grail War that took place during World War II.