Shirou Kotomine, who was standing on a high platform, frowned as he watched Lancer and the others running below. He seemed to want to say something but held it in, while Shakespeare, who was standing in front of him, revealed a hint of a smile.
"Don't worry~ Master~ I am ready~ Let me open the curtain to this performance!!"
As his voice gradually rose, he held the 'book' that had appeared in his hand at some point high up————
"The time for the performance has come. There should be a thunderous applause here (First Folio)!!"
As Shakespeare's voice rang out, a strange sound also rang in Shirou Kotomine's ears, and then————
"Master, there are three 'dramas' here. Which one would you like to watch?"
"Ruler."
Shakespeare was not surprised by his Master's choice at all. He just shrugged and then opened the book in his hand in front of the other party...
And after seeing the other party close his eyes, he chuckled softly and then also closed his eyes.
'You've kept me waiting for so long~'
A silver armor, a cape that seemed to be stained with blood, and this was the 'general' who was at the height of his power in the Empire at this time. It was even rumored that he might replace 'General Bud' to become the new strongest in the Empire.
But at the same time, he was also the sharpest knife in the Emperor's hand. Countless foreign races were killed. The corpses that were hung on stakes had not even been completely air-dried yet, and during this period, he once again entered the Imperial Capital. This time, the butcher's knife in his hand no longer pointed at those hateful foreign races but at the Empire's 'nobles'.
No one had ever imagined that those nobles who used to be so arrogant and tyrannical would actually act like a dog with its tail between its legs. This undoubtedly made many commoners very happy.
But even though everyone was happy to see this, they chose to ignore the person who had caused all of this...
No, it was precisely because they knew what the other party had done that they chose to stay away from the other party. After all, even though their rationality told them that the other party was not a madman, when they thought about the tens of thousands of people who had died directly or indirectly at the other party's hands, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, so everyone chose to stay away from him.
And this man was undoubtedly very clear about what he had done and his situation, so he also 'consciously' stayed away from people, just like a hedgehog who knew that no one would voluntarily hug him from behind.
But since it was a road, it would naturally have an end. When he arrived in front of a building, the door of the building suddenly opened, and then a blonde girl holding two bags of trash looked at him with a face full of surprise, but this daze quickly disappeared, and a brilliant smile appeared on her face.
"Welcome home~ Sir~"
"..."
Lancer knew that he was nothing more than a traveler and that he would have to leave one day, but he was also unconsciously attracted to the other party, just like an insect chasing a candlelight at night. He longed for someone who could accept him. He longed for something called 'home'.
He took off his helmet. His face, which was clearly young, was filled with the hardships of time, but when he saw the girl's smile, he couldn't help but pull the corners of his mouth.
"I'm home."
In the other party's protests, the young man helped the other party throw the trash bags into the trash can in front of the door. Then the two of them smiled and walked into the building...
Slaughter, panic, fear
These were the main themes of the Imperial Capital. People were living in constant fear, but the man who was the executioner did not completely sink into it, because he had found his own harbor. He just seemed to have forgotten that the main theme of this world was never 'happiness'.
They had clearly made a promise to meet again, but when the two of them met again, it was on the battlefield...
"It's simply too wonderful!!"
Shakespeare, who was holding a quill pen in his hand, was writing furiously on a scroll while muttering some strange words in his mouth.
"Is this ancient times? No, no~ that's not right~ that's not right~ I have never heard of this country. So, is it a parallel world? But no wonder he can have a 'Noble Phantasm'. So he had this experience after all..."
As the 'scene' changed, Shakespeare, who was watching everything from a God's perspective, also found the answers to many of his questions, but during this time, he shook his head several times.
There was no doubt that as long as a person existed, they would have flaws and weaknesses. A 'perfect person' simply did not exist in this world!
And it was precisely because of this imperfection that there were accidents, which made him so fascinated. But Lancer actions seemed so naive to him, and the final outcome could also be said to be within his expectations.
He had clearly won the battle, but in the end, the girl whom he had regarded as his harbor and reliance completely turned into ice crystals. Watching the young man kneel on both knees and cover his face, letting out a sob, Shakespeare also breathed a sigh of relief. In his opinion, this 'drama' was finally coming to an end, but at this moment——————
"You're watching me, aren't you, Caster!!"
Lancer, who was originally kneeling on both knees, suddenly turned around...
Looking at the 'Leone' who was gradually turning into ice crystals in front of him, Lancer could no longer suppress the sadness in his heart.
Even though he knew that the other party was now in the 'Land of Shadows', learning from his Master, he still couldn't control himself when he saw that scene.
It could be said that the matter with Leone was the biggest 'scar' in his heart, and this scar still affected him even now.
Although with the help of his Master, he had mended that scar, just like a piece of porcelain that, once broken and mended, would still have the repair marks.
There was no doubt that the person who had torn open the biggest scar in his heart had also ignited the uncontrollable rage within him!
"You're watching me, aren't you, Caster!!"
Lancer roared at the sky in the cold wind, but there was no reaction at all. Lancer looked like a madman to others, as a normal person would not say such strange words in this kind of weather and environment, but he did say and do just that.
His cheeks were hurting from the cold wind, and his whole body was cold, but he was more aware of his surroundings than anyone else. As for the reason...
"Oh? Assassin's Master, how did you know that all of this was fake? In principle, all of this was recreated based on your memories, and during this time, your memories should have been sealed. How did you figure it out?"
The man in the green robe and brown windbreaker asked a series of questions as soon as he appeared, and Lancer way of answering the other party was also very simple and crude——————
"Thump~!"
The ice spear directly pierced the other party's heart, but strangely, the other party seemed to have no reaction at all. In fact, he still looked at Lancer with a look of longing, as if he hadn't noticed.
And Lancer could basically be certain that this 'Caster' in his hand was just a substitute or a puppet. Since it was a fake, he also threw the other party away without hesitation and then carefully observed his surroundings, trying to find the other party's real body.
"How did you know? Tell me~ I'm really curious."
Even though there should have been a broken ice spear in his chest, 'Caster' kept asking questions around Lancer.
How did he know?
It was simple. From the very beginning, Lancer had sensed that something was wrong, because he found that his 'system panel' was much stronger than in his 'memories'. And it was from that moment that he knew something was wrong with his situation.
But even so, he didn't expose it at the beginning and continued to follow the 'story'. The reason for this was that he wanted to see 'Leone' with his own eyes again. This was the biggest reason why he was willing to be a puppet and continue to follow the 'story'.
The other party was still alive, but she was living in the Land of Shadows. He believed that the two of them would definitely meet again. Although there was no reason, he firmly believed it.
And as the other party 'disappeared', he also knew that he didn't need to continue wasting time with the other party.
But unfortunately, there was nothing but the incessant nagging in his ear.
As time passed, Lancer expression became even uglier...