An Interesting Conversation

Malzeno kept a relaxed demeanor as the new group of four came from beyond the tree lines. Thanks to his acute senses, he already felt their presence from before the battle. He wasn't going to harm them, but he wouldn't let them do any funny business either. 

"I wanted to make a dramatic entrance for us, but that explosion was enough to stop our intervention."

"They're all Servants, Master. I would've handled them if they had sinister intentions."

"Ah! Okay!" Ritsuka chirped happily. "My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru, and this guy is my bodyguard. His class is Ruler." 

"…Bodyguard?" Malzeno said as he cupped his chin. 

"That would mean he's aware of our identities already."

"Not exactly. I just found no reason to use it on your group so you can introduce yourselves properly," Malzeno replied with his head resting on his right palm lazily. 

"I see, a man of manners. My name is Marie Antoinette and my class is Rider!" 

"Are we really going to give our name and class? I guess that's fine. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and my class is Caster." 

"Elizabeth Báthory, my class is Idol….Lancer." 

"Kiyohime, my class is Berserker." 

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"I don't know much about heroes," Ritsuka rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Me neither," Malzeno followed up. 

Mash and Jeanne sighed at their antics, with Mash speaking up.

"I'll go over the basics."

Suddenly, Mash wore a teacher's outfit with a pair of square-shaped glasses, with Malzeno and Ritsuka sitting in a chair. 

"Where did you get those clothes?" Malzeno and Ritsuka said simultaneously

"Marie Antoinette, the Queen Of France. A girl who the French Revolution tragically crushed." 

"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austria's great musician. I seem to recall when alive. He was an acquaintance of Queen Antoinette."

"Elizabeth Báthory, known as the "Blood Countess", was a serial killer from Hungary. It is said she was the inspiration for Vampire Legends." 

"Kiyohime is from your homeland, Japan. The character from the legend of Kiyohime. She…turned into a Dragon when she got too angry." 

Ritsuka deadpanned with beads of sweat rolling down her face. "Aren't those last two a bit...I don't know, scary?" 

"We've confirmed it over here as well," Romani said through the transmission. "They're all Servants, but it is quite odd."

"What is?"

"If it was a Holy Grail War like Fuyuki, there's already too many Servants." 

"And the Dragon Witch seems to possess the Grail, there's already too many anomalies here," Mozart said with a raised finger. 

"Which means you all were summoned to rectify those anomalies," Malzeno seemed to be a step ahead, getting a nod from Mozart. 

"That's correct." 

"Is that even possible?" 

"It is," Mozart answered firmly like solid stone. "We have no masters."

"WHAT!" The sound of a thud came from Romani, most likely from falling over. 

"That seems to be the most plausible explanation," Malzeno agreed with Mozart. 

"If you all had Masters, this Holy Grail War wouldn't become this drastic." 

"I don't understand much, sorry," Jeanne felt conflicted about this, her confusion about everything began to change to frustration. 

"….Well, that's everything about us, what about you drifters?" 

"Understood. Let me explain how things are." 

With a firm sense, Romani spoke up, detailing the events about the future and the dreadful future that awaits if nothing is changed. 

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While everyone was talking, Malzeno began to walk amid the forest of Jura. The trees were painted a greenish tint from the sunlight, and the local birds happily chirped. 

Malzeno has been here in this new world for a few days, and despite that, he enjoyed his time here. However, he's trying his hardest to sympathize with Ritsuka and all of Humanity.

He was an Elder Dragon. Humans were beneath him, but it seems possessing a human body has numbed his mind. This mixture of emotions was foreign to him, like a disease that's hard to eliminate.

Was it welcome? 

He had no clue. 

"Oh? I thought you would stick by the little puppy."

"I also thought you would stick around the fair maiden." 

Malzeno blinked as the duo of Elizabeth and Kiyohime greeted him. He could discern these two having "Draconic" traits, with Kiyohime being able to change into a Dragon fully. 

The Elder Dragon felt something was extremely amiss here, and unfortunately, he would find out in an odd way. 

"I have to ask you a question."

Malzeno scratched his hair absentmindedly as the two Servants interrupted his calm walk through the forest. He suppressed a heavy sigh and nodded at Kiyohime.

"You may do so." 

"Are you by any chance married?" 

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"What is that?" Malzeno tilted his head as an Owl would. 

"Y-you have no idea what that is?" 

"Well, I was a Dragon before having a Human body…if I had to guess, that's just some courting ritual," Malzeno closed his eyes…before the reality fully set in.

"Why the hell are you asking me if I'm courted already? You may be a Dragon, but you're still a child in my eyes, not even over one hundred years old." 

Kiyohime took out her fan and covered most of her face. "That's rude! You're not supposed to guess a woman's age." 

Malzeno shook his head. "Isn't it the other way around? You're not supposed to call a lady an old hag." 

"That too!"

"You can't blame me for not knowing such trivial matters!" 

"….Trivial?"

Elizabeth just deadpanned, seeing the two Dragons bicker back and forth about a woman's age.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Elizabeth shouted as if she had just been hit with an idea. 

"You're not supposed to question these things!" Elizabeth joined Kiyohime's side.

Malzeno crossed his arms as the brisk breeze rolled through his hair. His crimson eyes held amusement seeing the two Servants argue with him over these matters, which he had no care for. 

It's not like he'll find love in this world. That was far back in his head that it was practically nonexistent. 

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AN: Final chapter for the week, I should be okay to upload about 3 chapters next week, no promises. I decided to just relax on this one and have it be more filler than anything else, and a short look into how Malzeno feels about everything. 

Let me know your thoughts!