Chapter 572: This Social Death Isn't a Bland Soup—Multiple Chefs Are Cooking
After what felt like an eternity, Draco finally came to terms with reality.
The reality was that she had won, but not completely.
Like winning.jpg
In short, her confrontation with Sakatsuki had caused an error in the Mooncell system. Although she had become a Master, she hadn't managed to bind Sakatsuki to herself before triggering the Master summoning, resulting in Nero—who had a deeper connection with her—manifesting instead.
After all, even Sakatsuki's bond couldn't outweigh the weight of "oneself."
Huddled in a corner, Draco watched the girl who, despite covering her face in shame, remained crouched at the center of the awakening site. She let out a cold snort, unable to hide her irritation.
Looking up, the intricate golden magic circle pulsed as if alive, its unknown runes intertwining, merging, twisting, and calculating countless possibilities.
The only constant was the oppressive sensation pressing down on her like needles against her back.
She had to admit—she might have overplayed her hand. Not only had she lost her contracted Servant, but she was now under the Mooncell's intense scrutiny.
Even if she hid in the shadows of the imaginary numbers under that young man's protection, the calamity of the Beast within her was real—a force capable of destroying the world.
If this power were exposed, whether it be heroes or the will of the world itself, they would undoubtedly kill her without hesitation.
There was only one way out of this predicament—
"How long do you intend to wallow in despair? Since things have already come to this, shouldn't we exchange information?"
Despite being smaller than Nero, Draco effortlessly dominated the atmosphere. "As you can see, I am the Master. Yet, I don't sense any contract between us. What's going on?"
Hearing this, Nero finally raised her head, facing the painful reality of her social death. Her emerald-like eyes blinked as she studied Draco's face for a long moment, letting out a puzzled hum. But in the end, she couldn't discern anything. Instead, she thoughtfully eyed the three Command Spells on Draco's hand and nodded, a golden cowlick bouncing atop her head.
"Umu, you are indeed the Master... But the one who sensed and summoned me wasn't you. I can tell, you know? That voice calling out to me—though foolish, it remained steadfast in its resolve to keep moving forward. It was that noble spirit that moved me!"
That (my) kind of reason is why I chose to manifest.
Though Draco didn't know who had summoned Nero, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity. "So, have you already formed a contract with that Master?"
"No, it seems there wasn't enough time." Nero shook her head, her beautiful face clouded with frustration. "I can only vaguely sense her—just a gut feeling, really. I haven't even received any magical energy supply, and future consumption will be a big problem. But one thing is absolutely clear—"
The extravagant Empress lifted her gaze, looking at the crimson dragon in her fluttering red dress with pity and affection.
"My Master... is not you."
———
My Master is not her.
In the freshly renovated infirmary, Sakatsuki gazed at the unconscious girl, Hakuno, lying on the bed, once again confirming this undeniable fact.
Having transformed into his Servant form—now appearing as a young man—Sakatsuki leaned back in his chair and let out a weary sigh.
This was… troublesome.
Amidst soft groans, the girl's eyelids fluttered slightly as she stirred from her deep slumber. Dazed, she stared blankly at the familiar ceiling, where tiny specks of dust drifted lazily under the eternal moonlight, carefree and unburdened, carried along by the currents of air.
In stark contrast to the serene scene before her, memories drenched in bloodshed and despair flooded her mind all at once, leaving Hakuno with a disorienting sense of temporal dissonance.
And then, right until the very end—that kiss.
[Within her fading vision, the last thing she saw…]
[Was his eyes, fixed upon her, scrutinizing her up and down.]
The act had been so rough, yet so sincere, washing away the crimson past and leaving behind nothing but the flustered embarrassment of a young girl and the chaotic stampede of ten thousand golden sheep—Dumuzid—in her heart.
If it had been some reckless stranger, she would have responded with fury and indignation. If it had been a misunderstanding caused by an acquaintance, she might have pretended nothing happened as long as she received an apology.
But how could she not recognize the owner of those eyes?
Why… why did it have to be him—?
"Ugh… uuuuu… aahhh…!"
With a swift motion, Hakuno rolled herself into the blanket, burrowing deep into her little cocoon. Her face burned crimson as she let out muffled whimpers, the sound laced with equal parts shame and frustration, making Sakatsuki—who sat silently beside her—twitch at the corners of his eyes.
There was no need to guess what Hakuno was recalling. Even he, when thinking back to that moment, felt an indescribable sense of shame.
Though his reasons had been perfectly valid, and he could have easily dismissed it as an accident… the undeniable truth was that he, the supposed hero who should have swooped in to save the damsel, had instead succumbed to his baser instincts the moment he appeared, grabbing the girl and kissing her without hesitation!
A pervert! A scoundrel! To do such a thing in broad daylight—his conscience was utterly rotten!
Sakatsuki could already imagine the reactions of the ahoge and the little red dragon once they found out. Debating whether his urn should have a sliding lid or a flip-top was too much trouble—better to just consider cremation and scattering his ashes into the soil to grow anew.
"I-it's… it's fine!"
Just as Sakatsuki buried his face in his hands, Hakuno—who had been squirming restlessly on the bed—suddenly sat up. The girl knelt on the mattress, her hair disheveled and her face flushed, stammering as if trying to psych herself up for something.
"It was a dream! It had to be a dream! Just a nightmare from not sleeping well last night! Once I get enough rest and return to class, everything will be back to normal!"
But at that very moment, the door creaked open, and Sakura—clad in a white lab coat, her purple hair swaying—stepped inside. "Senpai, I brought some porridge. Should I feed it to Hakuno…? Oh, you're already awake, Hakuno."
Senpai?
Hearing that familiar term of address, Hakuno finally realized there was someone else present by the bed. Her neck creaked as she turned stiffly, her gaze landing on the crimson-clad young man sitting beside her—one hand covering his face, frozen in the pose of The Thinker.
"Aah… aah… aaaaaah—!"
"Wait, let me explain—!"
Yet in the next moment, the girl's piercing scream echoed throughout the entire school. The sheer intensity of emotion it carried, coupled with the resolve of facing double social mortification, left everyone who heard it glancing around in shock, unable to hide their astonishment.
What on earth had happened?
————
"Several hours ago, the administrative authority sent a notification that the data restoration has been completed."
In the infirmary, Sakatsuki leaned back in his chair, while Sakura stood obediently behind him. Hakuno held a steaming bowl of plain porridge, her gaze distant, as if she wasn't paying attention.
"So don't think of this place as just a simple school. Now that the preliminaries are over, this has become the waiting room for the finals—the only safe haven amidst the fierce competition and battles."
Though something still felt off, Hakuno couldn't help but ask, "Where exactly is this place?"
"Broadly speaking, we exist in the form of data within a supercomputer called 'Mooncell,'" Sakatsuki explained without hesitation. "Narrowly speaking, the world you see is a spiritual virtual world created by Mooncell, known as [SE.RA.PH]."
"Aren't you magi who entered this world to obtain the Holy Grail?"
The Holy Grail... I remember Shinji mentioning it too... Hakuno hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything from before I arrived here."
Looking back now, Shinji must have regained his past memories back then, which was why he had gleefully spouted those strange words to her. Yet even though she had passed the preliminaries and summoned a Servant, her own past remained a blank slate.
"Ignorance is no sin. Would you like me to continue?" Sakatsuki, already aware of the original plot, wasn't surprised. After receiving Hakuno's consent, he went on, "The rules of the Holy Grail War are simple. Selected magi and their Servants enter the arena for one-on-one battles to determine the victor."
"Repeat that process, and the last one standing will reach the Holy Grail. There are more detailed rules, but in essence, it's just about winning over and over again—simple and brutal, nothing more."
Pausing, Sakatsuki couldn't help but muse, "Unlike those deceitful Holy Grail Wars, the Moon's Holy Grail War is refreshingly straightforward. Sometimes, it's not a bad thing to toss aside your brain and just swing a big sword around."
???
Hakuno didn't understand the last part, but she had grasped most of what Mooncell was about. "In that case, what about you, Sakatsuki? What's your situation?"
According to Sakatsuki, magi who passed the preliminaries should become Masters.
"But why do I feel like you're not a Master, but more like... a Servant?"
"You guessed right, Hakuno." Sakatsuki spread his hands, his smile momentarily resembling that of the boy from the classroom. Yet his crimson battle attire and sharper features proved that things were no longer the same.
"I am indeed a Servant partnered with a Master. My class is one of the three knight classes... Archer."
Gazing into Hakuno's clear eyes, Sakatsuki hesitated briefly before revealing the most crucial information:
"I have some bad news for you—I am not your Servant."
"Whether it was lost due to an accident or replaced by an uninvited guest like me, the fact remains that you, Hakuno, now possess the qualifications of a Master but lack a Servant to command... It's as pitiful as going into battle without a weapon."
The girl's gaze gradually shifted from confusion to helplessness. Seeing this, Sakatsuki felt a pang of guilt, but he closed his eyes and spoke softly:
"In other words, I have no reason to assist you."