After walking for about two hours, Ludwig finally led Saber back to his base in Shinto.
The hotel's location was so conspicuous that it actually took Saber by surprise.
On the day she had arrived in Fuyuki, while escorting Irisviel driving around Shinto, she had indeed seen this very hotel building. With its brand-new exterior and prime location in the commercial district, even if it couldn't quite compare to the Hyatt, it was clear that the establishment was thriving.
Following Ludwig upstairs, Saber couldn't help but wonder if such a place could truly serve as a hideout during the Holy Grail War.
Before she could reach a conclusion, however, they arrived at the door of a top-floor suite. Ludwig pushed the door open and led her inside.
"So you are back already. I was wondering where you ran off to," Ludwig greeted, his tone suggesting he had expected as much.
"The outcome wasn't going to exceed expectations anyway, seeing as you've brought Saber back with you." Merlin, seated on the sofa, casually sipped her black tea as she glanced toward the door.
A breaking news bulletin was playing on the television, reporting that in the early hours of the previous morning, officers on duty at the Fuyuki City Police Station had discovered a dozen or so unconscious children at their front entrance. None of the children could remember what had happened, but fortunately, they had suffered no physical injuries.
"The process just wasn't particularly pleasant, is all," Ludwig said, walking over to the sofa where Merlin was sitting.
Saber, following closely behind him, finally got a clear look at the woman speaking to Ludwig. She instinctively took half a step back and assumed a guarded stance.
"You're... the one who drove off Caster..." Saber said, her tone laced with vigilance.
Judging from the situation, this white-haired woman—who bore a striking yet distinct resemblance to her teacher, Merlin—was Ludwig's companion.
"What did you do to spook Saber like that?" Ludwig asked, his mouth twitching into a grimace.
After all, on his way to the Einzbern castle, he had indeed seen Saber charge out of the stronghold at breakneck speed, heading straight in Caster's direction.
"I didn't do anything at all. It's just that I'm a bit suspicious, that's all," Merlin defended herself with a cheerful smile.
Ludwig pressed a hand to his forehead. "A bit suspicious? You're a walking bundle of anomalies from head to toe, Merlin."
"That's terribly mean of you to say," Merlin replied, blinking playfully, seemingly entirely unbothered by his teasing.
But more than their rather familiar banter, what truly shocked Saber was the woman's name.
"Mer...lin?" Saber relaxed her stance, walking over to the side of the sofa to look at her in confusion.
Merlin took a smiling sip of her tea. "Pay it no mind. I am not the Merlin you know, King Arthur. The Magus of Flowers you are familiar with is still imprisoned in his high tower, using these very same eyes to watch everything unfolding right now."
"...I thought as much," Saber said, unable to suppress a sigh of relief.
Her teacher Merlin's personality wasn't exactly stellar. Outside of critical situations, he had a habit of doing utterly nonsensical things. If the woman before her had simply been him cross-dressing as a way to deceive Ludwig, Saber wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest; she would have only pitied Ludwig for his misfortune.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
"According to her, she's a Merlin from some alternate world who just decided to wander over to this one on her own," Ludwig added, gesturing for Saber to take a seat so they could talk comfortably.
"I see. That makes sense, then." Saber sat down on an armchair to the side and poured herself a cup of tea. "So, Ludwig... Master's collaborator in this Holy Grail War is actually a Merlin from another world?"
"I wish she were a collaborator," Ludwig muttered resentfully, stretching his arms high above his head as though he'd been working through the entire night.
"She isn't?" Saber asked, surprised. "But she clearly stepped in to drive off Caster."
"That was just because a certain boy couldn't bear to see innocent children meet a tragic end, so he swallowed his pride and begged a reliable big sister for a favor," Merlin said, flashing an adorable smile.
Saber found the mental image jarringly bizarre, and it took her a moment to process the situation.
But it made sense. Driving off Caster had actually been Ludwig's intention all along. If Merlin hadn't been willing to help, he likely would have dealt with Caster himself before mounting his assault on the castle.
"In terms of sheer power, she's definitely reliable. But only in terms of sheer power," Ludwig said, glancing at the TV screen where the news was still reporting on the children. "Anyway, all's well that ends well. I guess I owe her a favor."
Saber watched Ludwig silently, realizing that this boy wasn't merely a machine programmed only for killing and combat; he had his own personal sense of right and wrong.
"If she isn't your collaborator, then what exactly is your relationship?" Saber asked.
And immediately realized she had asked a rather terrible question.
Because in the very next second, Ludwig lunged and locked Merlin in a chokehold, looking entirely ready to end her life right then and there with a rear-naked choke.
"The relationship between a perpetrator and her victim!" Ludwig hissed through gritted teeth, veins popping on his forehead. "If this idiot hadn't drawn Gilgamesh's attention, I wouldn't have gotten dragged into this Holy Grail War to begin with!"
Merlin very cooperatively put on a theatrical display of dying, though Saber could tell at a glance that the female Merlin was in no actual danger.
In a sense, she might actually be even worse than her male counterpart.
"Drawn his attention?" Saber recalled the situation from two nights ago.
She still had no idea why Ludwig and Gilgamesh had suddenly broken out into such a fierce battle, although judging by the inconclusive skirmish, the boy had actually held the upper hand.
"I couldn't help it! To pinpoint Lutz's exact location, I had to make an exception and use my Clairvoyance," Merlin laughed cheerfully from within the chokehold, tapping her finger against her eye. "That's how Gilgamesh noticed me. Ah, I suppose there really are some corners you just shouldn't cut for the sake of convenience."
"...I get the feeling you did it on purpose..." Ludwig said, utterly unconvinced.
However, he didn't actually intend to do Merlin any real harm. She had definitely dragged him into a mess, but it wasn't an unsolvable one. Plus, she was the one footing the bill for their current lodgings.
—He just couldn't ask where that money had come from.
"So everything you said that night was true. In order to effectively defeat Archer, that's why you needed a Servant." Saber had finally begun to untangle the situation.
Although she still wasn't sure why Archer had set his sights on Ludwig in the first place, she figured Ludwig likely didn't know the reason, either.
The mysteries surrounding Merlin and Ludwig were indeed quite numerous. But of one thing she could be certain: going forward, she and this boy would be able to build a very solid relationship as Master and Servant.
Whatever happened, it certainly couldn't be worse than the Master-Servant dynamic she'd shared with Kiritsugu.
"What do you plan to do next, Master?" Saber asked earnestly, calmly watching Ludwig and Merlin roughhousing.
Ludwig immediately loosened his chokehold on Merlin.
"A strategy meeting right now? Sure, that works."
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey
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