"You've come. I spent all day parading around this town, yet everyone was a coward, determined to hide away like rats... You are the only brave one to answer my challenge."
'I didn't answer your challenge, I came looking for you...'
Artoria simply stared at Lancer with a blank expression.
"Hmm, this clear, fighting spirit... I judge you to be Saber, am I correct?"
"That is right. And you must be Lancer."
Artoria was certain.
Thanks to Caster's Master, she was well aware that he was Lancer.
"Who else could I be? Hmph, a battle to the death is about to begin, yet I cannot even properly exchange names with my opponent. This restriction truly kills the mood."
"It cannot be helped. This is not a battle for our own honor. Have you not also offered that spear in service to a master of this era?"
"..."
Artoria had been struck by Rule Breaker, and Kiritsugu had been stripped of his status as Master.
Thinking of Caster, who had become her new Master, made her seethe.
As Artoria recognized Lancer as a handsome man, she felt a strong sense of displeasure.
Behind her, Irisviel was breathing a little heavily, and Artoria's disgust for Lancer grew.
"...A charm spell? How rude of you, Lancer, to use it on a married woman."
Irisviel resisted with her magical energy, but she couldn't calm her pounding heart.
"Saber, I'm fine. I can resist this much."
"My apologies. It's a curse I was born with. I can't do anything about it. You can either resent my birth, or resent the fact that you were born a woman."
Artoria realized Lancer's words were sincere and respected him as a knight.
'I see. It doesn't seem to be Mystic Eyes, but a curse that charms indiscriminately, friend or foe.'
Artoria pointed her sword at Lancer and said:
"You don't expect my sword to be dulled by that handsome face of yours, do you, Lancer?"
"If I did, my excitement would have long since cooled. But as expected of the Saber class, your Magic Resistance is no empty boast... Good. Cutting down a woman whose legs are trembling because of this face would only tarnish my reputation. I am glad my first opponent is a spirited one."
Lancer's fighting spirit made Artoria's blood boil.
She didn't like the charm spell, but what could be done if it was a curse he was born with?
"I too am glad to face a noble Heroic Spirit."
As a victim who had experienced a chaotic mess rather than a noble start to the war, Saber couldn't help but welcome Lancer's demeanor.
She had wished for the Grail, but considering that wish was too selfish, she knew she would have to face Sir Lancelot, the Berserker, later.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
Lancer spun the long spear on his right shoulder and gripped it anew. The short spear in his left hand also slowly raised its blade.
His stance, with the two spears held high like spreading wings, made his movements completely unreadable.
Artoria used her magical energy to don her armor and gauntlets.
"Saber... be careful. I can provide support with healing spells, but I can't do more than that."
Meanwhile, Irisviel could only swallow nervously and watch Saber as the battle between Servants began.
At Irisviel's words, Saber could only nod.
"Irisviel, leave Lancer to me. Just be careful, as I cannot see Lancer's Master."
As Artoria said, Lancer's Master was not visible, but she could feel his presence nearby, so she had to warn Irisviel.
'Hmm... won't he help us?'
Irisviel didn't know Akira's name, but considering he had gone so far as to separate the Grail to save her, she thought, he'll save me, right? But she also had a premonition that he wouldn't.
In the end, they were strangers, and he was not her guardian. Irisviel could only shake her head.
"I understand, Saber."
Artoria nodded and pointed her sword at Lancer.
They closed the distance, maintaining the range of the long spear as they circled each other warily.
Meanwhile, in Akira's case.
"Oh~ It's starting?"
"Hmph, I don't know if this is a Holy Grail War or a movie theater. Akira, you weren't thinking that you wish you had some popcorn or soda, were you?"
"I was."
"Sigh... all seriousness is gone. I shouldn't expect anything from this Holy Grail War."
"Don't expect anything... The Grail here is corrupted by the curse of Angra Mainyu. It's a curse on the level of a Beast. Its combat power is the weakest, but its curse is the worst."
"Angra Mainyu... 'All the World's Evils'... If someone with a wish were to make a wish upon the Grail, it would be granted in an evil way."
"That's right. And the material the Grail is made of is also a problem, being cursed. It's related to Siegfried, I think. The Rhinegold? Anyway, you can think of it as cursed gold."
At that, Medea nodded as if she understood.
"Cursed gold, I see. It's said that anything involving it will lead to a bad outcome, and no one can stop it. They chose the worst possible material for the Holy Grail."
"But can the curse be lifted?"
"Hmm... it can be, but it's a strong curse, so it's a bit tricky. And honestly, I never imagined the Grail would be made from a cursed material, but a curse that is close to destiny will take a long time to purify... At the very least, if all preparations are in place, it might be possible if we purify it for seven days."
"Really?"
In any case, it seemed the curse could be lifted.
We decided to watch Artoria through a crystal ball.
The sound of Artoria's powerful swordplay clashing with Lancer's fast and strong spear techniques echoed in the surroundings.
Every time the mana-infused sword and spear collided, the resulting gusts of wind were strong enough for even Irisviel to feel.
The containers were sliced through like butter, and the streetlights were shattered by the wind pressure.
Irisviel's eyesight couldn't keep up with the Servants' battle; she could only watch as the two exchanged blows.
"This is... a battle between Servants..."
Irisviel's heart pounded at the terror of the Holy Grail War and the battle between the two knights, which was close to a mythological combat.
'So this is the Holy Grail War.'
The sight of a battle between Servants, something even a magus might not experience without participating in the Holy Grail War, was a beautiful yet terrifying experience that became a great lesson for Irisviel.
Meanwhile, Artoria could not shake her astonishment at Lancer's spear skills.
As someone who had fought on the front lines of Britain, Artoria had a conventional understanding of combat.
She knew that a spear was a weapon to be wielded with two hands, not one, and she believed that one of the two spears Lancer was wielding was a feint.
『Artoria~ Lancer is a dual-wielding spear user~』
If it weren't for Akira's telepathic message, she would have continued to believe it was a feint.
'A Servant who wields two spears?'
In the knowledge of the Holy Grail War that Artoria had received, there weren't many heroes who wielded two spears.
She had no idea what his Noble Phantasm was, so she couldn't identify him.
But Akira's words forced her to be wary of both spears.
As they exchanged attacks and defenses, they couldn't help but size each other up.
"Impressive, Lancer. There are not many Heroic Spirits who can wield a short and long spear so freely..."
"I appreciate the compliment, but that is a truly bizarre sword... I cannot properly gauge its length... Well, I'm not criticizing you for hiding your sword... but it seems to be a sword I can't get used to, no matter how much we fight."
And once again, as they exchanged blows, Lancer was unable to determine the length of the blade, so maintaining his distance was the limit of what he could do.
No matter how flashy his spear skills or his charm curse were, he couldn't land a decisive blow. He couldn't help but be impressed by Artoria's unwavering concentration.
"A fearsome woman. No, should I say, a true knight who does not waver."
Even at the enemy's praise, Artoria remained expressionless, warily maintaining her distance from Lancer's spear.
She could win easily if she used her Noble Phantasm, but she judged it better to hide her hand. However, with her Master already changed and the situation a complete mess, Artoria wondered if there was any point in hiding her Noble Phantasm.
Still, her opponent hadn't drawn his Noble Phantasm either, and there were many disadvantages to revealing hers, so Artoria held back.