Kariya could do nothing but stare in the direction where Sakura was.
Kariya suffered every time he saw Sakura being tormented by the worms.
"Sakura... I will definitely save you."
Kariya agonized over whether to use the pill he had received from Caster.
But since he himself had worms implanted in his body, it was certain he would also be harmed. And if he used a Command Spell here and now, Zouken might cut off his hand and steal his qualification as a Master.
'So, the only way is to break this capsule and immediately pour all my Command Spells into one final command.'
He had already anticipated his own death and was prepared for it.
'I wondered if I could trust that guy, but his words seemed undeniably true. It should be okay to believe him, right?'
Honestly, he didn't know.
Whether he should believe or not.
But if he left things as they were, it was clear that Sakura's mind would be completely broken.
'I have to bet everything on this moment. Whether I get drained to death or survive... In the end, I will die, and there will be no one left to protect Sakura.'
There were already far too many signs that his life force had been severely drained by the insect magecraft, leaving Kariya with no choice but to make his decision.
'Is it all or nothing?'
He carefully threw the capsule. The moment it broke, an extreme pain washed over him.
"Gaaahhh, keh-heum. Gulp, gulp."
Contrary to his expectations, Kariya was bewildered by the intense pain and looked toward where Sakura was.
The worms all seemed to be completely paralyzed, and the worms inside his own body seemed to be sucking his life force in a desperate attempt to survive.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He didn't know if his heart was beating fast to stay alive, but Kariya felt a kind of warning and reached a conclusion.
'If this continues, I will die.'
"Ke-heum... By all my Command Spells... I command you! Take Berserker Sakura and go to Caster's camp!...."
Amidst the extreme pain, Kariya endured it and used his Command Spells to order Berserker.
"Rr...rr..."
Seeing his Master like that, Berserker slightly bowed his head as if showing respect. Seeing this, Kariya smiled.
'Sorry... Survive... Saku...'
He couldn't finish thinking of her name before his biological functions ceased.
And the moment he died, Berserker, following the Command Spell's order, cleared away all the worms in the worm-filled place, embraced Sakura, and fled the area.
"You bastard!!!! Kariya!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Matou Zouken screamed, but it was futile to challenge Berserker.
Furthermore, the basement was becoming completely uninhabitable for worms, and a poison fatal to an insect magus was spreading, forcing him to evacuate his body before it was too late.
"To think he'd go so far as to self-destruct to protect Sakura... And this is a pesticide targeted at insect magus... It seems Caster's side made this. I won't forgive you. If I see a chance, I will definitely kill you, Caster's Master."
Matou Zouken didn't realize it.
He didn't recognize that he had already been poisoned, that he was slowly dying. Zouken failed to perceive his own limited time.
And so, from broad daylight, Berserker ran to find Caster's camp.
Holding the young Sakura in his arms as if he had saved Guinevere, he demonstrated his chivalry.
Because it was daytime, Berserker ran swiftly and silently, moving so stealthily that even ordinary people wouldn't notice.
Berserker didn't actually know where Caster's camp was.
All he could do was roam all over Fuyuki, sensing magical energy to find it.
Caster's mansion had spread a barrier that was essentially a mass of magical energy, so Berserker found it without much difficulty.
Driven by the Command Spell order to "take Sakura to Caster's camp," he judged accordingly and brought her.
The three Command Spells had transcended Berserker, and the transcendent Berserker ran at a speed surpassing his limits, protecting Sakura all the while.
This process was close to an instinct from his past. Though he was under the curse of Mad Enhancement, he was aware of the Command Spell's order, to the point that he overrode even his own Mad Enhancement for the sake of that command.
==============
"Huh?"
"Medea, what is it?"
"Something seems to be running this way. Just a moment. This is... Berserker?"
The figure reflected in the crystal ball was none other than Berserker, Lancelot.
He was running at an unimaginable speed, holding someone in his arms.
"Is that child Sakura? Judging by her condition, it seems a Command Spell was used."
"Yes, it looks like about two segments' worth of output. It seems Berserker's Master has died. If he activated that capsule by trading his own life for the girl's, then he couldn't have survived unscathed."
"I see... But how long will Matou Zouken live?"
"Hmm... If we assume it consumes life force, about a year. If not, he'll die within a month. By the time he realizes it, it will be far too late. By then, I doubt even treatment will be possible."
"I see."
It seems the Fate/stay night story has been completely twisted.
'Well, it should be fine. Assuming the 5th Holy Grail War begins... Is Emiya Shirou a certainty?'
If Rin summons a Servant, it's confirmed.
"Then, shall we make Berserker ours? Let's take this chance to completely remove his Mad Enhancement too!"
"Sigh... It seems I never get a day off."
"That's because you're so versatile, Medea. Your combat power might lag behind, but you're knowledgeable in various fields, right?"
"Heh, so you've finally noticed? Well... my combat power is something I can't help, but I am still the greatest sorceress of my age, so of course I can do it!"
It seemed Medea was susceptible to flattery.
"Who should we transfer Berserker's contract to?"
"We should give it to Tiamat. Do you think you, Master, can handle the magical energy?"
"Huh? I think I might be able to. Let's try it later, and if it seems impossible, we'll give it to Tiamat."
"I suppose there's no choice. They say 'curiosity killed the cat,' but all we can do is hope nothing bad happens."
"Yeah..."
Anyway, Berserker, who had arrived at our mansion in that manner, approached us while holding Sakura.
"『All Evils of the World, Begone』—Rule Breaker!"
And so, Berserker accepted Caster's Noble Phantasm without any issue, and I became Berserker's Master.
"Medea, I'm counting on you to take care of Sakura."
"Mental healing will be difficult, but I'll provide the necessary physical treatment first. But shall I remove his Mad Enhancement for you?"
"You can remove it?"
"Yes, Mad Enhancement is a form of magecraft. Nothing is impossible for this Medea! If it's an innate Mad Enhancement from one's origin, even I would struggle. But if it's a mentally imposed Mad Enhancement, well, I can restore him temporarily at least. Anyway, I think I can remove the Mad Enhancement placed on this Berserker. Please wait a moment. I'll try removing the Mad Enhancement first."
And so, I held Sakura, and Medea began the process of removing Berserker's Mad Enhancement.
Several hours later...
"Class Berserker. My name is Lancelot."
The black armor remained, but when he removed his helmet, a handsome man appeared.
"I had no idea you could remove my Mad Enhancement... Anyway, my Master, until the very end, acted like a true knight, sending this girl to the Caster faction to save her."
"I know. It was a 100% self-sacrifice. He needed to supply magical energy even with worms implanted in his body."
"...... What will you do with that girl?"
"For now, we'll protect her. She's also a candidate for the next Holy Grail War, but if she says she doesn't want to participate, I have no intention of forcing her."
"I see."
"Phew, first... let me check the girl's condition."
Lancelot frowned, as if remembering what had happened to Sakura.
"First, shall we meet the King?"
"...... Is my King here?"
"Yes. Just like before, I stabbed her with Rule Breaker, made her our Servant, freed the Master's wife from being the Grail vessel... I suppose you could say no one died."
"...... I'm not sure I understand, even if you tell me."
"You don't need to. I just want to walk the path I choose."
Lancelot simply nodded.
"Might I ask why my King has participated in this Holy Grail War?"
"After defeating Mordred and being gravely wounded, Artoria looked around her. That place, filled with her people, soldiers, and the young, all she wanted to protect, had become a mountain of corpses. As a result, she believed this outcome was entirely her fault, made a contract with something, and joined the Holy Grail War. That's the information I have. I haven't made a contract with a Servant and shared memories. Let's just say those memories are blocked from flowing into me."
"Our King shouldered many burdens alone. It seems she still carries many burdens. Having known that and yet turned a blind eye, I am unworthy, but I still wish to meet my King."
Lancelot made a sorrowful expression.
"That is your freedom. I won't force you."
"So it seems. How should I put it, Master? You give off a strong sense of freedom. That's why I couldn't even guess what you desire."
"Yeah, well. Anyway, welcome back to your senses, Sir Lancelot."
"...... You even knew my True Name."
Whether it was a side effect of Mad Enhancement or he forgot he had just said his own True Name because the topic of the King came up, I didn't know, but I decided not to mention it.
"First of all, I know the names of all Servants in the 4th War. I haven't memorized them all perfectly, but you can assume I know them."
Lancelot nodded and closed his eyes.
"I acknowledge you as my Master. May I meet my King now?"
"...... Well, alright. I don't know where Artoria is right now, though. Shall we go look for her?"
And so, we went to find Artoria.
Thankyou