"..."
An awkward silence spread across the area...
And it was only natural. Right in front of Rin, a beautiful girl with dark purple hair materialized...
She wore a dress in black, cream, and pink, along with a set of silver armor in purple and cream adorning her shoulders and waist.
The dress was open at the back, made up of a black corset that exposed part of her chest, and a two-layer skirt that reached her knees, fading from pink to white.
Her hair was tied up with a butterfly-shaped accessory, and she wore a pair of gloves with cuffs shaped like petals. Both shared the same color scheme as her outfit, along with a pair of armored boots.
Rin stared fixedly at the girl—more precisely, at her chest...
Those generous assets made Rin feel inexplicably irritated.
However, her chest wasn't the only thing that was large. Her stats were too.
Servant: Saber
Particle: Adonai Melek, Authority of God, Number 10.
Strength: A
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Mana: B+++ (???)
Luck: ------
NP: B+ (A+)
Class Skills:
Independent Action: EX
Independent Manifestation: EX
Magic Resistance: B
Riding: B
Personal Skills:
Astral Armor: A+
Noble Phantasm:
Sandalphon | Anti-Unit / Anti-Fortress | B+
Halvanhelev | Anti-Unit / Anti-Country | A+
As expected of Saber, the strongest class among the seven, her stats were top-tier.
"Food! Where's the food?!"
Of course, Tohka didn't care that Rin was checking her stats. In fact, she didn't even know. The only thing that mattered to her was the food Nia had promised.
Ever since Yuki had been bound to the Throne of Annihilation by Requiem, Tohka had been starving.
Yuki could only move for one hour a day, and that wasn't nearly enough to feed the black hole she had for a stomach.
Because of that, Tohka had been having a hard time, staying by Yuki's side with empty eyes, waiting for the one moment of the day when Yuki cooked for her.
So when Nia told her that Rin was willing to give her delicious food, she didn't hesitate and immediately materialized.
But seeing nothing but a forest and no food around, Tohka couldn't help but doubt it and glare at Rin.
"Food! Nia told me you'd give me delicious food!"
Puffing out her cheeks, Tohka asked suspiciously, snapping Rin out of it.
"Huh? Food?"
"Yes, food!"
Rin blinked in confusion. Servants weren't supposed to need food—magical energy should have been enough. Seeing a Saber asking for food completely baffled her. Fortunately, Nia didn't abandon her.
[Congratulations, Rinrin-chan. Tohka-chan is willing to appear and obey your orders, but you have to reward her...]
"Reward?"
[That's right. Didn't I already say it?... Food. Lots of delicious food.]
"That's it?"
Rin could hardly believe it. A powerful Servant willing to obey her, and all she had to do was provide food...
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...
[Hehe, as long as Rinrin-chan is happy... Hehehe.]
"..."
Even though it was tempting, Caster's strange laugh gave Rin a bad feeling...
Grullll~
Suddenly, a strange sound like a beast growling drew Rin's attention. Tohka grabbed her stomach with both hands, tears pooling in her eyes.
"There's no food? Nia lied to me..."
"Saber? Caster didn't lie. I do have food. Look..."
For some reason, Tohka's behavior made Rin feel like she was dealing with a child.
With her puffed cheeks and pitiful look, Rin's heart softened a little. She pulled a cookie out of her bag.
"Um!"
Naturally, Tohka wasn't polite. The moment Rin took out the cookie, Tohka snatched it in a flash and started eating happily.
Even though she didn't actually need food, her stomach kept growling, so she ignored the taste of the cookie.
"Um, um. You're a good person. More..."
Nodding happily, Tohka stretched out her hand again, asking for more. With a black hole for a stomach, that cookie hadn't even been an appetizer. Her stomach growled even louder as she stared at Rin, who had no choice but to take out all the cookies she had left.
"Um, um, um... More, more."
"I'm sorry, Saber, but that's the last one..."
"The last one?!"
Unfortunately for Rin, her limited supply of cookies was nowhere near enough to satisfy Tohka's hunger. Tohka puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, while Rin swallowed nervously.
"There's no more food?!"
"No, no, you misunderstood, Saber. I do have more food, but now isn't the time to eat. We have to fight first."
If what Nia said was true, then as long as she had enough food, Tohka would obey her. She was so innocent that Rin felt a little guilty. Still, Rin knew it wasn't that simple. Even so, she hesitated to use an authoritative tone with Tohka. This was Avenger's Noble Phantasm, and Rin didn't have the guts to order her around, so she had to hint at her objective.
"Fight?"
"That's right. Look at that Servant over there. If we don't defeat her, we won't be able to eat."
"Um?! An enemy?!"
"Yes, an enemy."
"Alright! I'll take care of it!"
Like tricking an elementary school kid with candy, Rin felt guilty for a moment. But when she saw the drool dripping from Tohka's mouth as she stared at Scathach like an enormous plate of buns, Rin's guilt vanished.
While Tohka was eating and Rin's expression shifted, Luviagelita blinked in shock for a few moments...
She was stunned that another Servant had appeared out of nowhere—and she wasn't the only one. Scathach felt the same. As a top-tier Servant, she had extremely high detection abilities. Even if a Servant was in spirit form, Scathach should have been able to sense them.
But she hadn't detected Tohka at all. She had appeared out of nowhere, making her shiver. This Servant definitely possessed an extremely high-level stealth ability.
What surprised her even more was that Tohka's spiritual foundation wasn't Assassin—it was Saber.
With a Saber's close-combat capability, attacking her through stealth would undoubtedly end in defeat.
Luviagelita, on the other hand, was checking the stats of the newly appeared Servant and couldn't help widening her eyes. She was strong. Just in raw stats, she surpassed Scathach, and her Noble Phantasm was a complete mystery.
She was also curious about her identity—and about the Master who had summoned her.
"Tohsaka Rin, who is she?"
"Oh, don't worry. She's Saber, and she'll be the one fighting."
Hands on her hips, Rin boasted confidently, while Luviagelita looked at her with disdain.
"If Miss Gorilla hasn't forgotten, this is a wager between us. Borrowing other people's Servants is against the rules..."
Luviagelita would have been a fool to accept this unknown Servant. She was confident against the two lolis, but against this battle-clad Servant, even Scathach would struggle. To avoid losing, she had to object.
"Eh? Uh..."
Rin didn't know what to say. She wanted to brag about Avenger—that these Servants were her Noble Phantasms—and make this foolish woman fall into despair and worship her as the greatest magus. But she hesitated, unsure how Avenger would react.
So she had to consult her all-powerful Caster.
"Caster-sama, can I reveal you to this woman?"
Without realizing it, Rin had already come to see Nia as her main and most reliable Servant. With omniscience on her side, Rin knew she wouldn't be trapped.
[If that's what Rinrin-chan wants, we don't mind. Our 'Husband' gave us complete freedom, so you can do whatever you want, Rinrin-chan. I'll lend you a hand.]
"Husband?"
Rin knew exactly who Nia meant by "Husband." This was another important clue to uncover Avenger's true identity. If all his Noble Phantasms were his wives, figuring out who he was wouldn't be difficult.
Still, she suppressed her curiosity. Now wasn't the time.
"Are you not ready yet, Tohsaka Rin?"
Luviagelita was growing increasingly impatient, but Rin didn't care. With Nia's permission, she returned to her arrogant facade.
"Hmph! I already told you—Saber will be the one fighting, because she's also my Servant!"
"Haah?!"
---