Chapter 30: Miss Okita: Crybaby Mode

"I'm sorry, Rider."

Roy smiled faintly and shook his head.

Taigong Wang was dumbfounded.

Wait, what's going on here?

He had just pledged to serve as Roy's vanguard, so why was Roy saying it was unfortunate?

In all of Taigong Wang's long life, he had only said something like this once before—thousands of years ago, to King Zhou! And yet, here he was, rejected on his second attempt.

Internally, Roy was secretly enjoying himself.

Heh, serves you right for making that long pause!

"Rider, I really appreciate your willingness to help, but I don't need you to protect me."

Roy's smile deepened as he explained his plan.

"I want you to remain hidden, serving as my trump card."

"On the surface, Saber will be my main Servant, while you stay in the shadows, controlling the situation."

"I see!"

Taigong Wang let out a breath of relief.

That was close! So the Master didn't want to reject him after all—he had almost embarrassed himself!

"In that case, I'll only show myself when the situation is critical or when you're in danger, right?"

"No, even if I'm in danger, I don't want you to reveal yourself."

Roy shook his head again, his expression unchanged.

"Even if my life is at risk—even if I die, Rider—I still don't want you to appear. You're only to show yourself when you can guarantee victory in the Holy Grail War. Should I fall, I want you to carry on my will and ensure my wish is fulfilled."

"Even without a Master, you should still be able to survive, right?"

This time, Rider was left speechless.

Only allowing him to appear at the critical moment to secure victory, even if Roy were to die along the way—he was forbidden to intervene.

Roy's plan had only one goal: to eliminate every obstacle and win at all costs.

He was willing to gamble everything, even his life, for that.

To bet one's life for an unattainable dream—this level of resolve was something even Taigong Wang had rarely seen in his thousands of years.

In Roy, he saw the same brilliance found in the ancient heroes.

"I understand. If you expect this much from me, I'll act according to your wishes, Master."

Finally, Taigong Wang nodded.

If Roy survived, he believed that Roy would indeed become someone who could change the entire world.

As he marveled at Roy's resolve, Taigong Wang sent a mental message to his master, the Primordial Celestial.

Sorry, Master, I need to amend my earlier oath. Could you approve this new version?

Primordial Celestial: →_→

With the situation resolved beyond his expectations, Taigong Wang was delighted.

After a bit more tactical discussion, he dissolved into particles of spirit energy and disappeared.

Roy remained seated on the veranda, holding a cup of now-cold water.

Rider is on board.

"With this, once the Holy Grail War begins, my battle will finally commence in earnest."

Roy set down the cup, suddenly feeling like he could use a drink.

He stood up and headed toward the kitchen. In the fridge, kept cold by runes, there was alcohol stored inside.

"Wait, am I forgetting something?"

He slapped his forehead, feeling like something was off.

He had spoken with Touko, discussed things with Taigong Wang, and didn't need to worry about Kasumigaoka Utaha or Aizaka. So who had he not spoken to yet—

"Oh no—Saber!"

"Master~~! You finally remembered me! Waaahhhh!"

A loud wail echoed in his mind.

Miss Okita's cry sounded like that of a neglected, grieving wife, so pitiful it gave him goosebumps.

"I'm so sorry!" Roy broke into a sweat, quickly trying to calm Okita down in his mind. "I swear, I didn't forget about you. I've just been really busy! Look, I was just about to sit down and talk with you—"

He realized it had been five or six days since he'd last said a word to Okita.

For a Servant who only had her Master to rely on, Roy had essentially abandoned her, ordering her not to show herself until the Holy Grail War started. On top of that, he hadn't spoken a single word to her for days—he'd outright forgotten about her!

Wow, I really am a terrible Master!

"I see… So you summoned Rider because you think I'm useless?"

Miss Okita's sniffles interrupted his thoughts, her sad, quivering voice cutting through.

Roy could already imagine the pitiful pout on her face, tears hanging on her lashes.

"No, no! That's not it at all! This was my strategy from the beginning!"

"So, Master didn't think I was useful from the very start?"

"Why would you think that?"

Roy's heart skipped a beat.

"Because from the beginning, Master planned to rely on Rider as his main force, didn't he?"

Ah.

Well, that… wasn't wrong.

"But Master, you told me before that you didn't care about my combat power and that what you valued most was my compatibility, didn't you?"

Roy's whole body tensed.

"Wasn't that because you never expected much from my strength, so you placed all your hopes on Rider instead?"

Roy was drenched in cold sweat.

"So, Master planned from the start to summon a strong Heroic Spirit. You summoned me because you only needed someone compatible, right? Anyone would've been fine as long as the compatibility was good, huh? And I was just the first one to show up!"

Oh no!

She figured it out!

The truth was, Roy hadn't expected much from Okita's combat abilities at all. All that talk about compatibility was just a way to motivate her to give it her all.

Damn it! Why was Miss Okita suddenly so sharp right now?

"Saber, come out!"

"Yes… sob sob..."

Golden spirit particles gathered, and Miss Okita, clad in her haori, appeared before Roy.

Her lips quivered, and her eyes were red and teary, looking as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Saber, remember this: Since I summoned you based on compatibility, that means you are my one and only."

Roy placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes with a serious expression.

"It's not that anyone could have fit the role—it's precisely because it's you that I need your help. Even if strength isn't your best quality, you are indispensable to me. In the upcoming battles, your participation is absolutely critical. Without you, victory would be impossible. Do you understand?"

"R-Really?"

Miss Okita blinked, a glimmer of happiness spreading across her face.

"Of course! Think about it—why didn't I summon anyone else but you? It's because you're the one I need!"

Roy looked at her with utmost sincerity, his eyes shining with heartfelt determination.

"Master needs me?! Oh, stop it! Don't say such things that could be misunderstood~!"

Miss Okita's cheeks flushed red, her face turning as pink as a boiled crab.

...Well, whatever.

If this settled things and kept her motivated to give her all, then that was good enough.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Miss Okita was so innocent and easy to handle!

Meanwhile, from the shadows, Taigong Wang had witnessed the entire exchange.

He fell into deep contemplation.

Was I just manipulated by my Master too?

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥰 Support the translation and help me grow.🤓

Read upto 20 Extra chapter in Patreon