Cú Chulainn?
This name sounded a bit familiar to Lancer for a moment, and suddenly he finally remembered the other person's identity.
"Dog Culann?!"
"?"
Lancer exclamation made Cú Chulainn, who was leading the way in front, pause for a moment. At the same time, the expression on Lancer face became awkward, but what he didn't expect was that the other person showed a happy smile.
"I didn't expect you to have actually heard of me?"
"That's right! It's me! The Hound of Culann! Cú Chulainn!"
At this time, Lancer remembered that the environment he was in was different. If it were someone else in front of him, calling them 'dog' would at least lead to an argument, and there was a high probability of a fight, but the person before him was an exception.
Just as he said, his nickname is 'the Hound of Culann', which represents his promise.
Cú Chulainn's original name was not his current one, but Sétanta (Setanta).
And the name Cú Chulainn also has the meaning of "Hound of Culann".
The origin is that after accidentally killing the wealthy merchant Culann's guard dog when he was young, he swore: "If this dog has offspring, I will take responsibility for raising it and train it to be an equally powerful and loyal guard dog. Until then, I will protect you."
So, he didn't feel angry about this 'nickname' at all, but was instead very happy. As for why he was happy? Of course, it was because Lancer knew him.
In his opinion, this future junior brother, Lancer, was very good. After all, knowing him meant that the other party had great taste.
Looking at Cú Chulainn who had suddenly become enthusiastic, Lancer was at a loss for a moment. After all, the Cú Chulainn in his impression was that 'hero' in a blue bodysuit wielding a blood-red long spear. It could be said that among all the Servants who appeared, he was the one with the fewest black spots.
He longed for battle, and the purpose of his summoning through the Holy Grail was merely to fight. That pure fighting spirit influenced everyone who met him.
However, the person now seemed more... lively? Or perhaps, not as composed.
And just as the other party was boasting about a story of him and a 'good friend' once going to a certain forest to hunt a magical beast, the two of them finally walked past the rugged path and arrived in front of the 'castle'.
It was at this moment that Cú Chulainn also retracted the smile on his face and took a deep breath with a serious expression.
"We'll talk again next time we have a chance. First, come with me to see 'Shishō'."
After speaking, Cú Chulainn pushed open the castle's main gate. Although it looked somewhat gloomy, it did not have that strange 'creaking' sound from the movies. And when the gate was pushed open, Lancer looked at the 'garden' before him with some surprise. He had originally thought the inside of the castle would be the same as the outside, but now it seemed to be two different 'art styles'.
"Although this is the Land of Shadows, this is 'Shishō's' private territory. What it's changed into is naturally up to Shishō's own will. According to Shishō, although training outside is fine, it's good to have a change of scenery sometimes."
Cú Chulainn, who noticed Lancer confusion, also explained a few sentences, and then led Lancer forward again.
He hadn't reacted before, but after knowing Cú Chulainn's identity, he also knew the identity of the 'Shishō' he spoke of——————————the Queen of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach.
Lancer didn't have much understanding of this character. It is well known that Lancer 'luck' is rather touching. He basically doesn't play any gacha games. Even for one of the most popular mobile games, he had only heard of it, and incidentally licked... cough cough, in short, he knew of this person, and roughly knew what she looked like, but he had no understanding of the specific details.
However, he was still a little curious, what kind of person would the Queen of the Land of Shadows who taught Cú Chulainn be?
But what he didn't notice was that Cú Chulainn, who was leading him, was currently showing a malicious expression, and at the same time, as if remembering something, his face still had an expression of 'lingering fear'.
As the two passed through the main gate, walked through the small path, and turned into another door——————
Just as he walked in, he saw a woman in a purple robe seemingly lightly waving a blood-red long spear, but Lancer felt that something was not right? Or rather, within this seemingly light spear dance, there seemed to be some strange charm.
Just as Lancer was about to become engrossed in it, the other party suddenly accelerated.
"Tss-la~!"
Accompanied by the sound of something breaking the air, Lancer, standing in place, widened his eyes in disbelief, while Scáthach put away her weapon and walked over to Lancer side.
"Cú Chulainn, you practice your spear here and keep an eye on him by the way."
"Leave it to me! Shishō!"
Of course, Cú Chulainn understood Lancer current situation. After all, he had also experienced it once. That time, he stood there for more than a day. As for why he was rooted there? Very simple, because within that seemingly simple spear strike was Scáthach's understanding of the 'spear'.
This was both a greeting gift from 'Shishō' and the first test for the person who came to become a disciple.
However, Cú Chulainn was quite optimistic about Lancer. This wasn't because he had good judgment, but simply because he purely trusted 'Shishō's' judgment. The more the other party didn't interfere, the more it represented her trust.
So now he was more curious than worried.
——————
Lancer only saw a red shadow rushing towards him, and then he felt that he had lost control of his body. When his consciousness reacted again, the woman who was wielding the long spear had already disappeared.
"Yo~! You're awake?"
"I... am awake?"
"That's right, you've been standing here for almost a day."
Cú Chulainn's words made Lancer freeze there. Because he felt that there seemed to be no change in the surroundings, but he didn't think the other person was deceiving him. After all, his somewhat hungry stomach and stiff legs and left arm also proved the other's words, but Cú Chulainn didn't mind helping him explain a bit.
"This is the Land of Shadows, not the outside world. Naturally, many of the outside world's rules don't apply here. The most obvious one is 'sunset, sunrise'. Alright, let's have a match! After we finish, I'll treat you to some barbecue I made myself!"
After speaking, Cú Chulainn tossed the wooden long spear in his hand to Lancer, while he himself also took a wooden long spear from a nearby rack.
Looking at the other's excited expression, Lancer knew that he didn't need to say 'let's fight after eating'. Although it was a bit different from his impression, there was no doubt that the other person was a 'battle maniac'. And the only way to extinguish a battle maniac's desire for battle was to have a fight with them. This was…
Suddenly, Lancer felt a sharp pain in his heart, because he remembered something.
"Alright, then let's have a fight first."
The originally empty right arm was once again covered with ice crystals, and then a red cloak completely wrapped it.
Holding the spear with both hands, Lancer unconsciously took a 'strange' opening stance, while on the other side, Cú Chulainn's face showed an excited expression.
"Cú Chulainn."
"Lancer."
After each reported their names, the expressions of the two simultaneously became serious, and then——————
"Begin!" X 2
Following the low shouts that sounded almost simultaneously, one blue and one red shadow instantly collided.
"Pa~"
The sound of the wooden long spears clashing was a bit dull, but in the ears of the two, it was extremely pleasant.
At the same time, on a tall building in the distance, a purple figure was also standing there, silently watching the match between the two.