For those who grow annoyed with the Rin thing, read the last line of the last chapter again. Although, the coming chapters explain it a lot better.
P.S: FUCK YOU MEL. WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT CANON
-
From the first moment I laid eyes on him, I had known something was off with that ginger boy wearing the stupid uniform Rin hid me from. My suspicions were now confirmed fully. My 'curtain' was a basic one meant to distort the vision of those not of our world, but it was also designed to outright ignore those OF our world.
If he noticed the commotion, and came closer to observe, he was a magus... not a very good one judging by the ostensibly snail-like pace he was running through the street at, but a magus nonetheless.
I watched him cut into a street from the sky. The moment he looked back to check if someone was pursuing him, I teleported into his path. Caught by surprise, he stumbled, then fell on his ass, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.
Smiling politely, I waved a hand, "Hey buddy~, remember me?"
Honestly, I drew a bit of a blank when it came to what I was actually supposed to do to him. If he was a magus, t'was totally fine to murk him where he stood...or sat... but, the very genuine panic and acceptance in his eyes as he crawled back was truly confusing. A magus would never have that kind of look at the first encounter.
However, the clear cut defiance was what actually surprised me.
This guy, he wanted to fight.
"W-What do you want from me?" He asked slowly, in broken English.
"By our own rules, I should kill you and you should try to do the same."
He immediately turned around and ran.
That was... unexpected?
"But I think you realise that's not something you're gonna be able to do." I sighed, disappearing once again to stand in the sky above. "What should I do~?"
Well, it was fun to see him run around anyway, even if I was left feeling like something of a bully watching him flee so desperately.
"What a conundrum."
From where I stood, he wasn't even actually fleeing. No, he was rushing towards one of the two homes with bounded fields erected over them. The traditional Japanese one from the looks of it. Hm, this really was rather interesting. He was properly using his head. I wondered what magecraft he practised and more importantly, what code he could give me.
I watched him round a corner, and appeared in front of him once again. This time, only a few houses away from the one that was clearly his destination.
"Boo~!"
He did not flee. His face hardened in resolve, and he clenched his fists. Then, he let out a pitiful battle cry and rushed me. I easily stepped away from the shoddy haymaker thrown at my face before tripping him with a foot, hands in my pockets.
With a startled grunt, he stumbled and spun but just when it looked like he'd fall, he corrected his posture... to run straight for the double doors of his home. In doing so, he accomplished his goal.
"Wow~ Nice play."
I followed him at a relaxed pace, clapping my hands.
With one last panicked look, he burst through the doors of his home. In the time it took him to do that, I analyzed the Bounded Field around his workshop several times over and found it to be nothing of concern. The same as last time, a very well-made detection field but naught else.
I ignored it entirely. Crouching on the outer wall of the home, I watched him with a hand on my cheek. Clearly, his first thought had been run right into his home... but he realised halfway through that that was a very bad idea. When he turned around, I waved at him again.
Grunting, he changed directions for the old storehouse built in the corner and burst through the shoddy old doors.
Yeah, this'd been fun at the start, but now it was getting tiresome. Hopefully, he'd show me what he was worth soon.
"God, with how willing you look to throw down, I really hope you have something awesome in there, mate."
A moment later, the defiant youth stepped out with... a pipe?
"What's that supposed to be?"
An honest-to-god pipe. The sort you saw used for plumbing. That was it? That was his be all and end all weapon? The weapon he needed to lead me all the way here?
"Yeah, at this rate, I really might just murder you."
He threw himself at me again. I just punched him in the face. He went tumbling back into the storeroom. I realised then that there was no reinforcement on his body either, nor on the bent and bloody pipe now staining the dirt.
Seriously, what was going on-
With a cry, the youth shot out at me again, wielding another... pipe. I wrenched it free from his grip and cracked him in the cheek with it. Well, the bastard was tough if nothing else, even though I wasn't using any reinforcement either. Feeling bad, I kicked him back into his little shack.
Shaking my head, I followed him inside. He was lying against a couple of crumpled boxes that must've broken his fall. His chest was heaving, and he was struggling to breathe, having had the air kicked out of him just a second ago.
The place was no worshop like I expected it to be but instead, an actual storehouse, filled to the brim with shelves that held nothing worth even a glance, just old and broken appliances... a lot of broken stuff, actually.
"Just w...what do you think a life is?" He managed.
I made no effort to hide my very real confusion.
"Aren't you a magus? Why are you asking me that kind question?" I crouched down, pursing my lips, "The only reason I don't have any qualms about killing you-"
"No... Nobody has the right to take any life so casually..."
"Uh..." I put a hand over my mouth, pushing down a laugh. "Which cliche manga did you pull that one from?"
He had the look of someone annoyed by a lack of fairness. The frustrated kind of anger I remembered from my days under a harsh and uncaring mother. The kind you experienced when you just didn't understand why someone would possibly treat you a certain way.
I smiled faintly, "So, what are you gonna do about it?"
"I'm going to..." He pushed himself up. "I'm not going to go down like this."
I hung my head, chuckling.
This was way too hilarious. He was having a proper main character moment over here. The guy seriously thought I was going to kill him. Man, I really wanted to know what was going on inside his head right now.
Probably a whole monologue about injustice in the world and how he was going to fight it, in whatever way he could-
"What the..."
An abrupt flash of light ripped me from my thoughts. I raised my head just in time to notice the very active summoning ritual drawn into a cleared space behind shelves holding old, broken and used household appliances.
Well now... THAT made all of this worth it and then some.
Having had just enough about people landing surprise hits on me, I immediately reinforced my body and expelled mana all around us. The decision to do that was the correct one. A moment later, a heroic spirit came forth with some invisible blade already midswing.
And, I was faster.
A localised Red blew away the formless weapon long before it reached me. Then, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the servant's throat with a massive grin on my face. It was... a woman. Of course it was.
A beautiful girl with hair of gold tied in a practical bun using a navy ribbon and gem-coloured eyes. Her skin was pale and soft to the touch, not like a warrior's at all... yet a warrior she was, the plated armor laid over her blue dress was a little stocky, her gauntlets were definitely too big, and her small face betrayed only the slightest hint at being overpowered by someone clearly not a heroic spirit.
I had little interest in actually making others actually suffer, so I tossed her aside like a sack of potatoes and turned to the kid again.
"You, buddy, what's your name? You should've told me you were a master! We could have had ourselves a proper throwdown!"
"A master?" He craned his neck.
His servant came right at me immediately. She swung her blade. I leaned back and socked her in the chin... or, intended to. She elbowed my arm, and socked me in the chin instead, with the hilt of her blade.
The blow was... weak for a servant.
Gripping my chin, I stepped back as she positioned herself between me and her Master.
"Well, Nobu had her fun. So I don't think she'll have much of a complaint." I watched the girl grip her blade with both hands, and raise it to the side of her head. "You want to throw hands?"
"Servant, Saber. I have answered my Master's call." She glanced back at her master, "Let us talk once we are rid of this... foe."
"Nice~!"
I clapped my hands together, laughing in glee.
She did not share my enthusiasm. Her face was so terribly serious it made me feel like the villain. That couldn't possibly be. I was the good guy here. The BEST guy even... but maybe not, eh, a little scuffle never hurt no one.
Snorting at my own thoughts, I raised my fists as well.
Gauntlets of Living Stone formed over them.
Then, the air around them took a crimson hue.
As a servant of the Saber class, using anything less was just disrespectful.
"I'll warn you in advance. You're not about to have a good time."
"Hm."
She accepted my challenge and stepped forth, blade held aloft.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Once again, FUCK YOU MEL. WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT CANON. YOU BITCH.