Fate/Broken Melody Chapter 7: Caster and Assassin vs The King of Heroes

Rin Tohsaka PoV

BRRRING. BRRRING. BRRRING.

My hand lashed out, hitting the nightstand several times before finding the alarm clock. Causing me to groan as I finally moved my head. My own body feeling like a sack of lead in response.

Mornings…

Ugh, why was it always mornings? It took several minutes to finally shuffle the blankets off me, and several more to finally take my leg over the bed. Finally finding enough strength to stand and get up.

"Uh…"

I grunted, finally staggering to my feet. Clothes…I needed to get clothes for the day on. Not a school day…so no school clothes…

"Will this do, miss Tohsaka?"

Hmm? I looked over to see clothes being handed out to me. After a moment of tired observation, I deemed them more than satisfactory. Limply slapping them into my hands before turning back to the bed.

"Uhn…"

My pajamas struggled to come off due to something with my right shoulder. Causing me in my agitation to yank at it. Pulling at it in exhausted frustration and anger.

"Don't worry, I have it miss Tohsaka."

I sighed in relief as my arm finally came free. Grunting and sighing in the same breath before finally taking off my pajamas and putting on my clothes.

"I believe your underwear is backwards, miss Tohsaka."

Hmm? Oh.

So it was…

It took several more minutes for me to finally finish up, and start to head out of the room. I needed something to…to actually wake me up before taking a nice hot bath…where I can relax again…

Hmm…that sounded nice…

Glancing over, I noticed my new servant giving me a raised eyebrow as I came by. Her hands folded over her arms. Ugh…I don't think she likes me very much…

Eventually I got to the kitchen, which smelled unusually nice. A cocktail smell of fruit greeted my nose as I looked towards the table, and found strange looking round pieces of bread that resembled pancakes. Sprinkled around them was a variety of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. With a small container of honey next to it.

Some sort of blended yellowish drink was off to the side. Looking far to bright to be orange juice. After sitting down I decided to take a sip of the drink instead of heading towards the coffee maker.

"…It's good."

I murmured under my breath. Slightly taken aback by the strong mango flavor. I hadn't thought much of most fruits, and thus never really thought to taste them. But now…my opinion of them had been raised.

That also meant I was a bit more awake now.

…And thus could start questioning on just why there was breakfast in the kitchen. As well an already empty plate on the other side of the table.

"Thank you, miss Tohsaka. That is quite kind of you to say."

I blinked, before turning slowly. Only to meet the smiling visage of none other than the enemy assassin, Orpheus. My eyes widened in surprise. I considered screaming or even preparing a gandr but…

It didn't even feel very necessary, did it? If there was really trouble, didn't that mean Atalanta would solve it? Maybe?

I didn't know. That servant wasn't exactly the open book type.

"W-what are you doing here, Orpheus?"

I asked, stuttering slightly in response. More out of confusion than fear. Hadn't he left after we had gotten home? No wait, he had come in with us, didn't he? But I'd have assumed that Atalanta would have already asked him to leave…

…Unless…

…Unless she decided to just keep her mouth shut and just not involve herself with Orpheus in any way. Oh my god…was she a child or something!?

Heroes of legend my as-

"Well, I hadn't been told to leave, so I decided to make myself useful and thank you for allowing me sanctuary within your walls."

Hmm? Oh. Well…that was quite the reasonable outlook on things. He was much more agreeable than my own servant. More helpful and hands on too.

When I had decided to join a war of servants, I hadn't actually expected some of them to be genuine…servants.

"Oh…well…thanks?"

I offered lamely to which he nodded. Extending a hand towards the food.

…Eh, why not? If he had intended on killing me, he'd have already done so by this point. So I sat down and started to cut into the strange looking pancake…only to be surprised when I caught glimpses of walnuts being in them. After shrugging, I took a bite.

…It was good. Very good. It has been…quite awhile since I've had a breakfast that was even close to as good as this. A…very long while.

"No thanks are necessary. It's the least I could have done."

"…Hmm."

I looked up from my chewing to notice that my archer had joined us in the room. And she was currently looking down at me with an inscrutable gaze.

"…Are you sure it's wise to eat food given to you by an enemy, master?"

My eyebrow raised in response. After swallowing, I opened my mouth.

"Like you did?"

My fork pointed not only to the plate, but to the small speck of honey still left on her cheek. Which she quickly and calmly got rid of with a flick of her finger. Afterwards she looked back to me.

"Of course. I had expected that it was possible for you to accept. Thus I needed to confirm if it endangered your life."

…Right. I was pretty sure not even Shinji would buy such a trash excuse.

"Would you like me to start running a bath, miss Tohsaka?"

I looked over in surprise towards Orpheus who seemed to want to continue helping…no, that wasn't it. It was almost like…he enjoyed this. Maybe being some sort of butler was his actual calling?

For a moment I considered that maybe having Orpheus as my servant instead would have been a better fit, before remembering that this was an actual war at hand. One that I had to win, even if I didn't really have a wish to make.

….Even so, that didn't mean I couldn't still indulge myself. Just for a bit longer.

"Yes please. Make sure that it's hot, but not too much so."

"Of course. Leave it to me."

Orpheus stated, before immediately walking away. Huh, strange. I wonder why he didn't just go in his spirit form like Atalanta sometimes did. Could…that possible make servants uncomfortable? Did they also have preferences to such things as well?

…What was I saying, of course they did. They had been human once too.

Atalanta gave me a slightly judgmental look, but I ignored it. It was fine. It's not like anything was going to happen. Besides if he wasn't going into his spirit form, then that means I'd know he wasn't there when I go to bathe…

…Wait…

…This morning…

…When I had changed…

…Oh god.

~o~

Orpheus PoV

Both Atalanta and her master Tohsaka were quite the pleasant individuals. Easy to get along with as well, though perhaps not the greatest conversationalists in the world.

I mean, Atalanta hadn't said a single word to me after we had arrived at their residence! Going so far as to walk on the ceiling in order to gain some distance.

A similar event happened with her master after breakfast. Where she simply gave me strange looks instead of attempting to engage in conversation.

Hmm. Perhaps recently I've heard about a phrase about these sorts of things with a nearby magazine. People were divided into two sections, extraverts, and introverts.

Extraverts were people who were more outgoing, and gained energy from talking to others. Introverts were people who were more standoffish, and lost energy from talking to others.

Perhaps this was the so called 'recharging period'?

Fascinating. This era had so much to learn!

Unfortunately I could not press either Atalanta or Tohsaka on this, as they had a prior engagement set up. Leading me to politely excuse myself in order to not intrude.

Which meant I was free to return to Medea and tell her about everything I had discovered. The mysterious saber, her strange resistance to afflictions of the mind, and how her name was both well known, yet all so distant.

"Mmm. Have you considered that it might be a sort of noble phantasm she has at her disposal that is obscuring her identity?"

I blinked a few times in surprise before turning back to Medea. In truth, I hadn't. Mostly due to a good chunk of such identity hiding noble phantasms not being able to truly work against me. I was not truly relying on sight, after all.

But the music inherent in all of us.

To have a noble phantasm that could obscure her name from even me…that was no small feat.

"I hadn't due to it being rather unlikely but…as you say, that would be a perfect explanation."

Medea nodded. Her head turned away from me as she turned back to her table within the workshop. An assortment of strange items littered the place. Children's toys, strange marbles of differing size, and gnarled branches to name a few.

One such item she retrieved from the table. It was covered in a black cloth as she took it in her hands and walked towards me. My eyes immediately widened in surprise as I felt a rather powerful tone coming from within the bundle.

"What is that?"

I cautiously asked, as she stopped walking forward, and just continued to stand there with the bundle in her hands. She looked at it, before looking back at me and…extending it.

"…A reward of sorts. You've done quite well, and it is only right to not only provide a boon for your service so far, but also to increase our chances of winning this war."

I took the bundle in her hands and unveiled it. Revealing a sword within.

…Ah, how thoughtful of her.

"I understand you are not especially gifted with the blade, but that does not mean you cannot use one to defend yourself."

"…Thank you Medea. I will treasure this gift with my life."

Medea paused before looking at me strangely through her veiled hood.

"…That's the exact opposite of what it was made for. So don't do that."

I blinked in surprise, before having my own face redden in embarrassment. Rubbing my neck as I looked away from my master.

"O-oh, right. Of course."

Medea continued to gaze at me for half a minute before finally just shaking her head. Then continuing on with the conversation.

"The sword has a few enchantments, but the main two that you need to know is that it'll increase your strength for as long as it's on your person, and that it'll return to your hand after thrown."

Oh! Well wasn't that quite the handy little ability?

"And what's the other enchantment?"

Medea waved her hand, before continuing to walk past me.

"It's not necessary to know just yet."

Hmm. Well, if she said so. I'll trust her to know. She continued to walk out of her workshop with me following close behind. Saying little else but still traveling as if she had a destination in mind.

Eventually we reached the front of the temple. I had been keeping myself entertained with tracking the other shadows on her outfit, to see if they hid other parts of her from view. Such as her command seals.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to figure out that much, as it really wasn't all that windy outside.

"So…where are we going exactly?"

Medea paused, before turning around. Her smirk being the only thing visible through the shroud surrounding her upper face.

"The Greater Grail."

…I had no idea where that was.

~o~

The so called "Greater Grail" definitely didn't live up to it's name. It also didn't help that the trip was quite short, being beneath the very temple in a wide open cave.

…Well, the entrance to said cave wasn't exactly wide. Not until Medea decided to…expand it. Slightly.

It was much bigger on the inside, so it had that going for it. But beyond that…it was incredibly disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe some sort of massive ancient cup that could hold an oceans worth of water?

Perhaps something on a much smaller size, like a beautifully jeweled cup that can be held within someone's hands.

But there wasn't even anything 'grail' shaped! It was all…rocks with symbols on them.

Bah. Where was the romance? Where was the beauty and mystique? They could have even thrown in some trials for either Medea and me to solve before being allowed to even get close. Much like King Arthur and his knights on their own quest for a grail of the same name.

But there was only this boring cave, with boring runes. At least Medea seemed to be working towards…something? Her noble phantasm, Rule Breaker, was held within her hand as she worked at something. Humming and muttering to herself as she traced things with her fingers before stabbing down on the stone.

…She's been at it for several hours now. Even so, I would be quite the terrible servant if I did anything less than guard her, ever vigilant. Especially after that kind gift she had given me.

I had been given many things in my life. Most having to due with a variety of instruments being carved from the finest and oldest wood. Allowing me to pull the most eloquent and beautiful notes from them. There were also clothes purchased by wealthy nobles in order to pull me towards their inner courts. As well as feasts prepared from the finest chefs in the land.

…Yet no one has ever given me a blade before.

Not to say that I was utterly incompetent with one. I had rather basic training, true, but my experiences on the Argo and it's other passengers has blessed me with knowledge without comparison. The very art of war hung heavy over that ship, with the very best that Greece, no, that the very land had to offer.

I would be shaming not only my teachers, but my fellow passengers if I couldn't defend myself. Even if they had only taught me as a joke or unintentionally.

Those people who I am honored to call my friends…

How could I ever cause them to lose face?

"…Something's wrong."

Medea muttered out loud. Possibly addressing me for once. Something I was thankful for, as the silence of the cave was unbearable. Which wasn't helped by the fact that Medea had forbidden me from playing in front of her.

To be quite honest, I was starting to go insane from the silence.

So I was happy for any sort of break from it. Even if it was something I had no understanding in.

"What is it? Some sort of spell to keep you out perhaps?"

Medea shook her head.

"No…I could deal with those quite easily. It's the grail itself that's the problem."

"…and that is?"

"…It seems as if it's almost…rejecting me?"

Hmm? I didn't know much about these things but…

"Isn't that expected? No servant has died yet."

"No. It's different than that. The Holy Grail is just a ritual. A rather intricate spell crafted by mortal hands. If I decided to bend it, it should bend to my will. And yet…it seems to be trying to refuse me."

"Like the grail has a will of it's own?"

Medea paused at that. Her left hand hovering over a nearby stone, and her right still holding Rule Breaker. I immediately grimaced in response before turning around.

"Ah…sorry, that was probably a stupid thing to say. I'm not really well versed on these things…"

"…I…hadn't considered that possibility. How…interesting…"

Medea commented, her voice taking a strange lilt before her fingers continued to touch the stone, humming along with renewed vigor. I guess…I said something right then?

Well, good work on my part then!

"Well then…this should be enough."

Just as Medea retracted her noble phantasm, the cavern seemed to shake in response. Something that happened for only a few seconds, but still startled me a bit. Earthquakes weren't something I was very used to…unless Heracles charging forward counted.

"W-what happened?"

"I made a few edits within the Holy Grail system in order to gain an unlimited amount of wishes."

Medea calmly responds, as if that's the most normal thing in the world to say. I stared at her astonished and slack jawed. Did that mean…we already won!?

"A-and it worked?"

"…Somewhat."

I scratched the palm of my left hand as I continued to listen to her. Medea extended her hands outwards towards the cavern as she continued.

"I can indeed gain an 'unlimited' amount of wishes, but there is of course a cost."

"…And that cost is?"

"The lives of other servants, of course."

That…uh, well I didn't want to sound rude or anything but…that just sounded like a normal Holy Grail War. Thankfully Medea must have seen how confused I was, as she explained further.

"I can not circumvent the six heroic spirit requirement of the grail in order for a wish, but I can influence it in other ways. Such as being able to fill and refill the grail once again."

"…But you'd still need six additional servants to perish, yes?"

"Indeed. Which is why I allowed for more servants and master candidates to be awakened rather than the strict seven."

Hmm? Huh. Wait, that's possible?

Why was I even thinking that, this was Medea after all. Even if it was impossible she would figure out a way to do it. She was incredibly clever like that.

Even so, there seemed to be a small problem.

"The grail normally appears in front of the last servant and master pair, right? So won't whoever kills the sixth servant get the grail?"

Medea shook her head in the negative. A rather smug looking smirk on her face telling me that she had already planned for this.

"No. As far as the other servants are concerned, they are still required to kill every other servant in order to get the grail to appear before them. The only one who can make a wish after the death of six servants is…me."

I nodded along.

"As expected of my master!"

Her lips twisted upwards in a rather genuine show of happiness before being quickly squashed down and controlled.

"Naturally. This is meant to be a trump card of sorts in dealing with the other servants. The proverbial carrot in front of the stick."

It made sense. People would of course be willing to work with Medea if she mentioned that multiple people could have their wishes granted…though that also depended on them trusting that she was capable of that. As well as trusting that she would in fact give them what they wanted.

Carrot and the stick huh? I guess I would need to be the one to help offer the carrot…but wait, did that make Medea the stick? Or was that something else entirely?

Maybe her metaphor hadn't gone that far…

Thinking about this also made it obvious to ignore the whole six deaths part.

Hah…I wasn't an idiot. People were obviously going to pass away in this Holy Grail War. Death was, as usual, as inescapable as ever. Despite my best efforts to the contrary.

It was one thing to step in front of a fight between Saber and Lancer, but to step in front of Medea when she attempts to take someone's life or defend herself?

I couldn't do that. She was the entire reason I was here, and it would be a pretty awful move to potentially endanger her life. Even if it meant someone would…pass away.

There would also likely be fights that I'm not apart of. Heck, there might already have been a few for all I know. And there is no way for me to stop those either.

…But that didn't mean that I couldn't at least try what little I could. If convincing people to join Medea's side would help save their life, then I would do my absolute best! It was much preferable to death, after all.

And who knows, perhaps I might even make some friends in the process.

"Did you know, Orpheus, that I can somewhat influence master candidates?"

Ah, as in who's chosen as a master and who's not? Interesting I wonder what the specific requirements are…but why would she be bringing this up?

Unless…

I looked down to the hand I had been scratching for the past minute. My eyes widening as a familiar red glow appeared on top of it.

Ah.

That is…

Not good.

That was not good at all.

~o~

Medea PoV

As expected, the grail had accepted Orpheus as a master quite easily. Which meant there shouldn't be any problems. He'd summon a servant, and I'd simply take that servant off his hands and have two at my disposal. It was a decent plan…

Or at least I had thought so until Orpheus's horrified look on his face before slapping his hand down on his new command seal. Almost as if to hide it from me…

No, that couldn't be it. He wasn't stupid enough to believe I hadn't noticed the command seals on his hand.

There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what strange shape the seals take. Even still, I found it rather amusing that his took on the form of the symbol of Demeter. I hadn't realized he had such close ties to the goddess.

It seemed like the symbol of wheat, but it was also a bit different looking. Maybe it wasn't representing Demeter at all?

"Medea…I am sorry, but I can not summon a servant."

…What?

I was momentarily taken aback. Not by his words, no, that meant rather little to me. Even if he didn't want to, I could simply use a command seal in order to force him.

No, I was taken aback by the unflinching gaze he was giving me. This was something he was unwilling to back down on. Almost as if he was worried about…something…

Ah.

What a foolish witch I was.

Of course he'd be afraid of summoning his wife into the Holy Grail War. A place that she would be ill equipped to handle. Not to mention the likelihood of her losing her life in such a place wasn't low.

Which would mean Orpheus would have to lose her all over again.

My hand started to reach out for a moment, before I corrected it. How extremely foolish I was, to think that Orpheus would summon a half decent servant. I had been thinking of his close ties to the other Argonauts, and not…his wife.

She shouldn't be counted as a heroic spirit at all, and the likelihood of her being summoned was extremely low. Even so…I couldn't say with a hundred percent certainty that it wasn't a possibility. Especially with Orpheus being the one to do it.

…But there was still a way to salvage this.

"…I see. I understand your worries, Orpheus. Do not worry, I will make sure you don't summon her here by having a catalyst prepared in the future."

And by having a catalyst, that meant I could at least control what servant would be summoned. Yet instead of being relived, Orpheus seemed somewhat confused, and panicked.

"…Her…?"

His eyebrows stitched together before suddenly widening. A more melancholic and defeated expression taking ahold as he looked away from me.

"Ah. A catalyst? I see…hmm…I…possibly? Even so…the danger…"

"I promise that I will do everything in my power in order to guarantee the identity of your servant. Even if I must interfere with the grail system itself."

I added, which seemed to at least ease most of his fears. His trust in my skills was not misplaced…and was a bit flattering as well, all things told.

Even so, it wasn't enough to completely erase his fears. Anxiety still clung around him like the smell of death.

"…Alright. I trust you, Medea."

…That…

…Was not a wise decision on his part.

Even so, I wasn't nearly heartless enough to use my servant's wife in a Holy Grail War. Especially when she'd just be a detriment and accomplish little but scarring my servant.

Besides…I had a certain level of respect for genuine relationships.

As we left the cavern, I couldn't help but notice Orpheus tearing parts of his clothes into strips in order to act as bandages around his hand. Obscuring the fact that he was a master altogether.

It wasn't something that would really stand up to closer scrutiny, but even so. At the very least, it seemed to calm him down slightly.

~o~

Orpheus PoV

After messing with the Greater Grail, me and Medea traveled back up towards the temple. All in all, it seemed to be rather uneventful. Though perhaps that's just due to things not having the chance to start unraveling just yet.

Or maybe it wasn't going to be as dramatic a shift as I expected. The understanding of spells and magical items wasn't exactly my specialty. Perhaps if they had been tied to the stories of humans or gods...but alas.

The following few days were also rather unchanging.

I finally got around to building a small shrine to the gods near the back of the temple. Giving offerings and prayers to the gods in hopes that they'll continue to look favorably on me. I also continued playing music for the local wild life, which was always soothing.

Medea enjoyed the meals I prepared ahead of time, unfortunately it would seem that the monks have also discovered the pantry I had been using. Which meant my ingredients had swiftly dwindled as a response.

Meaning I had to go out once again to shop.

This time at least I wasn't going to pass near the forest. Meaning that it would be unlikely that I'd encounter Heracles.

Not that I didn't want to or anything, of course. He was a nice enough man, even if he couldn't speak anymore. I just didn't want to run the risk of overstaying my welcome.

I decided to grab steaks this time due to my familiarity with it. Though I've heard word that people of this era do things much differently. Such as marinating the meat before cooking!

What will they think of next?

I couldn't focus solely on meat, so I decided to grab some vegetables and fruits as well. Due to Japan being a completely different place than Greece, I wasn't really knowledgeable about the plant life here, but I don't think it would be too hard to discern what could go to together after a taste test.

The real problem would be hiding it from the monks…

"Orpheu-"

Medea telepathically seemed to call out to me before being cut off. Immediately getting my attention.

"Medea?"

I answered back, but got none in response. Causing my eyes to narrow. Immediately my feet pivoted before setting the bags down gently. My path set for the quickest way back to the temple.

She wasn't answering. If it was an emergency though, she'd have used her command seals, right? Perhaps I was overreacting…

Even so, I was starting to get a bad feeling.

My speed increased until I was jumping across rooftops in order to get to the temple as fast as possible. Eventually hopping over a crowd before landing near the street that was connected to the steps.

Alright, everything seemed fine. Everything seemed…

Smoke was rising in the direction of the temple.

I was dazed for only a second before I rushed up the steps. My legs working overtime in order to get me there quicker. And even then it felt as though I wasn't going fast enough.

Finally I crested over the top of the stairs to see…

Pandemonium.

Just as the sun has started to set, the temple had been utterly obliterated. The various buildings laying in broken rubble, if not in a hole in the ground. There were marks of explosions and holes that showed that a battle had gone on here.

Then there were the bodies of the monks laying in disarray. Dying, if not already dead. There was only a small few that remained unharmed, and were trying to pull their fellow monks out of the rubble. The rest were either trapped, or slaughtered.

…Likely having to do with Medea's enchantment over them. But if she was using that against a servant…then she must have been desperate.

Very desperate.

My pace quickened past the small courtyard towards the west side, only to finally see Medea. Or parts of her, at least.

Somehow, someway she was still alive. That fact alone allowed me to draw a relieved sigh from my chest. I hadn't…I hadn't failed again.

One of her legs had been blown clear off. Her cloak was thick with her own blood, and was currently cleaning itself at the same rate she was bleeding out on it. With some sort of spell, she seemed to be healing herself.

Even so, it was obvious that she was barely hanging in there. Her face was still obscured, but blood still ran down the lower part of her face. I could only guess what her face looked like.

And across from her…

…Was someone who quite clearly and overwhelmingly outmatched me.

The king of heroes. The wedge of heaven. The first heaven sent king to rule amongst humans. The ancient king of Uruk who became the very first heroic spirit of legend. The man who ushered in a new era for humanity.

The slayer of the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh.

Even from this distance, I could practically feel the divinity dripping off of him in waves. Not only did he have the blood of gods in his veins, his people worshiped him like one. Making him that much more above the level of a mere mortal.

His crimson eyes ran over my body as I approached. A single eyebrow quirked upwards, but he said nothing. No, it wasn't that he was keeping his silence, he simply felt that addressing me was beneath him.

I was quick to check on Medea, and place my body between her and the King of Heroes. It wasn't much more than a flimsy sheet of paper against Gilgamesh, but it was still better than nothing.

"Master, are you alright?"

Obviously not, but I felt I had to ask anyway. Especially as Medea was barely even moving. Only continuing to prop herself up with her hands off the floor. At my voice, she slowly turned her head.

"…Assas…Orph…?"

I nodded, before turning back to face Gilgamesh. Who seemed to be watching the events unfold in front of him with a small smile. Taking pleasure in seeing what probably seemed like an insignificant fly taking a stand against him.

He attacked Medea, with intent to kill her. He likely would, if I did nothing. Countless monks have already perished by simply being in the crosshair. I would not be any exception.

And yet…

I couldn't find it in my heart to truly hate him.

Dislike him, sure. It was something I was very much against. Yet he was simply doing his best to claim the holy grail. Something that every servant in the war was trying to do, and I couldn't fault him for that.

…That being said, I couldn't deny that a part of me wanted to make him pay. Maybe not kill him, but…some sort of punishment seemed to be in order.

…Unfortunately, I highly doubt that I was capable of something like that. Not as I was now, at least.

Which meant I had to go to plan B.

"Oh great and powerful King of Heroes, I beseech you to find a measure of mercy in your heart, and spare us."

His eyes slightly narrowed at being recognized, but instead of being wary, he seemed to have enjoyed his identity being so easily discovered. A hand went to his chin as he seemed to revaluate me.

"Oh? What a curious thing to say…as a servant fighting in this war. Tell me, do you have no pride as a warrior? Or are you simply that much of a coward?"

…I could use that.

"The wisdom and wit of the Slayer of the Bull of Heaven is indeed only matched by your raw power. Indeed, I am no true warrior, but a bard. A simple musician."

His look of slight derision was changed for something more curious, if only lightly so. As interested as one could be to hear about new neighbors down the road. Or that a nearby farmer's bull had passed away.

"Is that so…"

He commented idly. The minute amount of attention he had on me already slowly being whittled away. I needed to act fast, or he'd simply get rid of me and Medea in one fell swoop.

"As a musician, I could never hope to push the legendary King of Heroes from his position. Much less even land a single cut."

Gilgamesh said nothing. His eyes already drifting back to Medea who was currently trying to regenerate herself via some sort of spell. I had to be quicker.

I had to be brash.

"But there is something of yours I could move, King of Heroes."

His attention once more locked onto me. But it wasn't enough to cause me to falter. This was the one thing I knew I could never get wrong after all.

"And that is your heart."

"…Is that right?"

With a wave of his hand, a blindingly brilliant throne appeared just slightly behind him. Allowing him to sit down like a king amidst the rubble. His right arm braced underneath his chin as he gazed at me.

Ah, I think I preferred Illya's scarlet eyes to his crimson.

"My songs have touched the hearts of the people, the kind animals in the forest, nymphs, sirens, cyclopes, kings, queens, and even the gods. I do not believe that even the wedge of heaven can resist shedding a tear at my melodies."

His eyes narrowed slightly in amusement before gesturing with the arm that wasn't propping up his head.

"Then show me. And know that if you fail, your death will not be a quick one."

"It would be my honor."

My hands produced a lyre from my clothes. I couldn't risk any other instrument but my very best. For this, I was going to have to dig deep.

It was already written on King Gilgamesh's face that he expected to be both entertained, as well as disappointed. He was no stranger to music back in his era. Where it was much more primal and came from the heart. No intricacies or complex rhythms.

Just pure soul.

But I could do that too.

I turned back towards Medea before offering her the most brave face I could. A gentle smile in order to reassure her that everything was fine.

I would not fail her. This time I would succeed.

"Don't worry, Medea. I'll give it everything I got to protect you."

Her reaction, if she had any, was unknown to me. Her face was in my general direction, but the dark shadow of her hood still kept everything from my sight. Not that it mattered one way or the other. I didn't need to see that she believed in me to continue.

The only belief I needed was in myself.

My fingers found the strings as my voice rang out. My emotions were tumultuous, as I dug deep into my wounds. My raw pain and emotions translating into music.

My beautiful wife, Eurydice…and how I failed her in a way no true husband would. The love that I held for her driving me forward in order to save her from the underworld.

I hadn't thought twice about what it meant to defy the world. What it meant to go up against the very rules set down by the gods I prayed to. None of it really meant anything to me.

I simply poured my heart out and they answered.

It wasn't me who moved the world. No, it was the kind gods I beseeched. Giving me the chance to set things right once more.

Only to fail in the worst way imaginable.

How pathetic of me. How incredibly weak and disturbed must I have been to have hurt her so.

Even so…

I wanted to see her just one more time. To see her beautiful locks being caught in the wind. To hear her laughter right beside me. To have her next to me just to hold. To comfort her as much as she comforts me.

But I knew deep down.

…That it would never happen.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as my own sadness was consuming me. Even so, it wasn't enough to truly effect my voice in a negative way. The somber tone only accenting the very song, but that's as far as it will go.

My voice would not warble. It would not pause for even the briefest of sniffles.

To do so was not only dishonoring those who listened, my friends, and the gods.

It would be rude to Eurydice herself.

My song finally ended. Thus allowing me to focus back on the world around me. I seem to have bought enough time for Medea to sit forward, but not enough for her leg to be fully healed. Or perhaps she didn't have enough mana to do that.

Gilgamesh's eyes were closed, but a sinking feeling still hit my gut. As I realized there wasn't even a scant amount of moisture on his cheeks.

I…had failed.

Gilgamesh opened his eyes.

"That which we once held, but can hold no longer no matter how much effort we expend is the most beautiful of treasures in this world. It is forbidden, which makes us want it even more so."

I said nothing as Gilgamesh continued to talk. His eyes seemingly distant as he gazed towards the horizon, and the setting sun.

"…You may rejoice, bard. Your music may not have been enough to move me to tears, but it moved me nonetheless."

My heart soared as I bowed before King Gilgamesh. He continued to speak.

"The ability to move even me is no mere feat. Take pride as I recognize your talents as the highest humanity can achieve. It also falls to me to reward such gifts, thus I shall allow you to keep your life."

"Thank you, great king Gilgamesh."

He nodded, before making a small shooing motion with his fingers.

"Now move aside. I still need to deal with the witch."

…Ah damn.

"Ah, I don't suppose my protection could extend to Caster? If only for today?"

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed as he stood up from his throne. Immediately a wave of pressure seemed to exert on everything in his vicinity. I felt it too of course, but it was ignored in favor of saving Medea's life.

"No. Blood must be spilt for this slight against me."

Slight? What slight?

No, I can't ask that. Every word I spoke was limited my options. Every syllable could be the last I was allowed to speak. Which would then force me into a confrontation.

One that I'd likely lose.

I needed to think of a proper response quicker. 'Blood must be spilt.' That was something I could focus on. Using his words against him. Medea's spilt enough blood to fill several garbage bags maybe that…no. That sort of technicality wouldn't impress him.

It was actions and emotions that he respected. Not clever wordplay.

…That's it.

"…If blood must be spilt, then I offer my own."

Gilgamesh's eyes immediately locked onto my own as I knelt in front of him. Disgust and genuine annoyance filled his eyes as if I had just spit on his shoes. Becoming nothing more than a eyesore to him.

"You dare disrespect me by throwing my charity back at me!?"

I shook my head.

"Of course not. I wish to keep my life, but you hadn't said anything about my blood."

His expression became muted as I extended my right arm to the side, before staring down at the ground.

"If blood must be spilt, let it be my own. Please, take my arm instead."

Gilgamesh said nothing. I wasn't sure what expression he was wearing due to looking down. Whether or not he was thinking about it, or irritated by my words. All I could see was his shoes, and the rubble around.

A testament to his strength.

"You'd sacrifice your ability to play music for this witch?"

I paused at that.

"A life is worth more than a measly arm. Besides, I'll just learn to play with my other one."

Once again Gilgamesh paused. Several tense moments passing before finally he broke the silence.

"…Hah. Hahahaha! How amusing! You're quite the amusing one, aren't you? Very well. I'll accept it."

I sighed in relief as a light shone above Gilgamesh. Thank goodness. Now all I had to do was prepare for the pain. I gritted my teeth, and attempted to find a good balance with my feet before the inevitable.

But nothing could have prepared me for the sudden weight loss of losing my arm. My balance immediately becoming lost, causing me to fall to the ground. My other arm grasping at the stump where my arm used to continue onwards.

Thankfully the pain hadn't-oh no. Oh crap. Yeah, it was starting to hurt. Oh gods, it was starting to hurt a lot.

"Today was an amusing enough affair, but do not expect next time to…"

Gilgamesh continued to talk, but I couldn't hear any words coming out. Instead all I could focus on was the rush of blood in my ears as I attempted to stand up on shaky legs. Eventually Gilgamesh left of his own accord. Allowing me to go over to Medea.

My tense and scrunched up face immediately lessened upon seeing that she was looking a lot better. It was still incredibly painful, but I could at least suck it up for a bit. By focusing on just about anything else.

Like the fact that I had finally saved someone.

"Can you stand?"

"…"

Medea didn't respond. Instead her gaze seemed to pierce through me. As if silently waiting with trepidation for King Gilgamesh to come back or something.

I nodded at her.

"Alright. Don't worry, I can carry you. Can you uh…lean to the side a little?"

"…Why?"

Medea spoke faintly, as if throat was extremely dry or at least hoarse. I smiled at her with a bit of embarrassment.

"Uh, well…it'll be a bit difficult for me to scoop you up at the angle you're-"

"Why are you helping me?"

Hmm? Wasn't it obvious?

"Because I care about you, Medea."

She said nothing for several seconds. Instead continuing to look at me through her dark hood. Before eventually reaching up with her hands. Slowly but surely until they touched the edge of both sides of her hood. Then she pulled them back.

Revealing her to me.

Tears streaked down her face as she stared dumbfounded at me. Causing me to chuckle a bit.

"Now that's the Medea I remember."

After a few moments of her tearing up, she finally pulled her body upwards and leaned towards me. Allowing me to finally pick her up with one hand.

Which was much, MUCH harder than it seemed. It would have been one thing if I was just holding the other arm behind my back, but it was just gone. Not only being VERY painful, but also throwing off my balance by quite a bit.

I'd have led her back to her workshop but uh…yeah. The temple was completely gone by this point. Which left only a few options left.

"Hey Master, what do-"

Just as I was asking her a question, her head hit against my chest. Light breathing could be heard as her body started to relax in my arm.

…Ah well, she certainly deserved her sleep if she had to fight against THAT guy. Honestly it spoke volumes of her skill that she was able to last so long.

As expected of Medea, the princess of Colchis.

But now that left me with a question.

...Where the hell was I going to go now?