Chapter 52: The Gentle Saint, But Some Time She Little Violent
"GRAAAAHHH————————!!!"
Under Fafnir's lead, a horde of Wyverns charged forward aggressively.
As they neared their target, Archer suddenly leaped off the dragon's back.
"You're that eager to fight them?"
Seated on the dragon, Saber spoke, but Archer had already vanished from sight, taking her bow with her.
"Oh well, I'm in no place to lecture her either."
Saber, whose face was as delicate and youthful as a maiden's, chuckled at himself.
"To think that I would be the one to bury that queen with my own hands… Perhaps ending this hellish nightmare a little sooner wouldn't be so bad after all."
As the White Lily Knight, he should have been loyal to the French royal family.
However, after being forcibly subjected to Mad Enhancement by the Dragon Witch, his thirst for battle had spiraled beyond his control.
"If destruction is inevitable, then let it be absolute!"
Below, a young girl clad in a bishop's ceremonial attire looked up toward them.
"This must be the enemy Servant maintaining their stronghold… Ugh, my head hurts… Whatever, whether I destroy or get destroyed doesn't matter anymore. Let the slaughter begin! This is the fate of a Servant summoned into this era!"
"GRAAAAHHH————————!!!"
With a furious roar, Fafnir led the Wyverns in a dive-bomb attack from above!
—
Seeing Fafnir take off, Mash immediately reported the situation to Ethan, who was concealed in the forest near the castle.
"Senpai, the enemy's Evil Dragon and two Servants have left the castle, but there's no sign of the Dragon Witch or the Caster you mentioned."
Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the semi-transparent screen before him.
The camera feed was focused on Johanna, and the enemy's movements had been almost entirely identified.
—
[Half the castle was blown apart with a single shot… Is this for real?]
[Don't ask. If you ask, it's just special effects. If you ask, it's the peak technology of the host's company.]
[If they actually destroyed an entire castle like that, the host's company would never afford the compensation…]
[Compensation!? Nuh-uh, just another routine third-week gas explosion in Type-Moon. Any concerns? Please direct them to Father Tokomine, bye.]
[What the hell was that?! Why did it suddenly start raining arrows?!]
[Noble Phantasm: "An Arrow Pierces the Clouds, A Thousand Troops Gather in Response."]
[Looks like this is Atalanta's Noble Phantasm, but in reality, the ones executing the attack were Apollo and Artemis.]
[Finally, an Archer who actually uses a bow seriously…]
[Everyone knows that most top-tier Archers are better at melee combat. Using bows is just a hobby.]
[Good thing Johanna's barrier was sturdy enough. Otherwise, that would've been a disaster.]
[At last, it's starting to feel like a decisive battle! Wait… where's the host? Did they sneak off somewhere?]
—
As soon as Fafnir appeared on screen, Ethan immediately issued orders to those around him.
"Alright, everyone, move out! Our objective is to take down the Dragon Witch and the enemy Caster, then seize the Holy Grail!"
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
"Hurry up! Kiyohime is still waiting for us to save her!"
Since setting up their ambush in the forest, Elizabeth had been pestering Ethan nonstop, urging him to begin the rescue mission.
"Honestly, what are we still waiting for?"
But the plan needed to be executed at the right moment, so Ethan simply ignored the dragon girl's complaints and continued waiting for the perfect opportunity to infiltrate.
Now, that moment had come.
The group carefully made their way to a small northern gate.
Only a handful of low-level Golem guards were stationed there.
BOOM! BOOM!!
Before the enemy could react, Mash swung her shield, immediately taking down two of them.
"These things, I can handle them easily. Everyone, hurry— AHHH!!"
Elizabeth thrust her magic lance straight through the Golem's chest. However, she had stabbed with such force that her weapon got stuck, making it impossible to pull out.
Seizing the opportunity, the Golem on the left launched a direct punch at her!
"Manager!!! Help!!!"
Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact. But instead of pain, all she heard was a cracking sound right next to her ear.
The massive Golem instantly shattered, its magic core completely smashed. Its body immediately crumbled into a pile of rubble on the ground.
"Are you alright, Elizabeth-san?"
Martha pulled her fist out of the Golem's broken core and asked with concern.
"If you're hurt, I can use Miracle to heal you."
"No need… but thanks…"
"Ah, this door is locked too. Well, nothing else to do then."
Elizabeth had barely finished thanking Martha when she saw the Saint raise her hand—
CRACK!
With a single punch, the iron chains locking the door shattered into pieces!
Martha then stepped inside to check the area first.
"Umu, doesn't seem like there are any Familiar guards inside. Everyone can come in."
She peeked back outside, only to find Elizabeth hiding behind Ethan, eyes filled with terror as she looked at Martha.
"What's wrong, Elizabeth-san?"
"N-nothing…"
Elizabeth still seemed shaken. She leaned in closer to Ethan and whispered:
"Hey, the Servant you summoned… isn't she a bit… off?"
"What do you mean? Martha is a very reliable ally."
"But… isn't she… a little too strong?"
Ethan could see the sheer confusion in Elizabeth's eyes—the disconnect between Martha's gentle appearance and her frightening level of strength.
"She's a Saint, you know. Fighting Evil is part of her job, so naturally, she's pretty heavy-handed. She even subdued an Evil Dragon with her bare hands before."
Ethan said this matter-of-factly and stepped into the castle.
"H-HUH?! A Saint?! And she subdued an Evil Dragon with her bare hands?!"
Elizabeth froze, her tail drooping in fear.
"W-wait up! Don't leave me behind!!"
Seeing the group already heading inside, Elizabeth hurried after them.
—
The passage ahead was eerily dark, illuminated only by flickering candles on the walls.
Something seemed to be lurking in the shadows.
Mash led the way, her shield held firmly in hand. Martha followed behind her, while Ethan and Elizabeth took up the rear.
Maintaining this formation, the group cautiously advanced.
"Um, Saint-san?"
Elizabeth called out in a small voice.
"Yes?"
Martha turned her head curiously.
"Back outside earlier… I might've said some things that sounded a little harsh. Please don't take it personally, okay?"
"Oh, Elizabeth-san, you were only worried about your friend. That's completely understandable."
Martha smiled gently.
"Fighting to protect your comrades is a truly admirable trait!"
"Really? If you think so, then that's a relief…"
Seeing that Martha wasn't offended at all, Elizabeth finally let out a sigh of relief.
The group continued moving forward. Soon, they reached a fork in the path.
"Senpai, which way should we go?"
Mash turned to Ethan for guidance.
Ethan glanced at Elizabeth—he had brought her along to lead the way.
"Hmm, let me think…"
Elizabeth stared at the two pathways, trying to recall something.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as if she remembered.
"This way! I remember when I was captured, they mentioned something about keeping the Holy Grail in the treasure room or something like that. It should be—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a cold, sharp light streaked straight toward her head!