-870- The fallen girl

At the same time, Cú Chulainn has returned to his throne.

"You've been through a lot, Cú."

Looking at the battered Cú Chulainn, Medb, wielding a whip, not only feels no sympathy but rather exudes an excited emotion, finding this version of Cú Chulainn full of wildness, seemingly fascinating.

Of course...

"The other injuries are fine, but the heart injury is no joking matter. It almost shattered the spiritual core. Even if Cú can endure a lot, if the spiritual core shatters, you would die, you know?"

Medb says this with a smile, not worried at all that Cú Chulainn might die from these injuries.

In fact, Cú Chulainn is indeed indifferent to the wounds on his body; he doesn't care at all.

"The spiritual core is fine; it's just the heart being pierced. If not for the curse of that lance, this level of injury would have healed long ago."

Cú Chulainn coldly states this.

"It's fine, Cú. Even if it's the curse of the demonic spear, as long as we have the Holy Grail, it can definitely be eliminated. Cú, you don't need to worry at all. Leave it to me, leave it to Queen Medb."

Medb expresses this cheerfully, causing Cú Chulainn to nod.

"If you can heal it, then get on with it."

Cú Chulainn speaks as if he's talking about someone else's affairs, and his tone remains unchanged from start to finish.

But that's just how it is.

No matter how wounded he is or how painful it is, those are not things Cú Chulainn cares about. There's only one thing Cú Chulainn cares about.

"Soon, those guys will come to attack. If this curse is still around by then, it's too troublesome. It affects my ability to kill. I don't want this heart anymore."

Cú Chulainn casually remarks.

For this Mad King, the injuries on his body are just things like that. Keeping them around will only affect his combat effectiveness and his own condition. As for whether he'll suffer a severe or fatal wound, or bleed too much, that has nothing to do with Cú Chulainn, and he won't bother with anything outside of battle and slaughter.

In consideration of this...

"Be prepared on your end; don't make any mistakes once you're on the battlefield." Cú Chulainn looks at Medb and says, "Release all the warriors you have in stock. Don't leave any fighting strength behind, send them all to the battlefield. Also, be ready to summon new Servants at any time with the Holy Grail."

This is what Cú Chulainn truly cares about.

"Don't worry; it's not a problem." Medb not only doesn't feel disappointed but is rather enthusiastic, saying, "There's still a considerable stock of warriors, and besides that, I've summoned some interesting things. Although I haven't summoned new Servants yet, as long as we have the Holy Grail, all of this won't be a problem."

Indeed.

With the power of the Holy Grail, the Celtic side doesn't seem likely to lose in any way. As long as they have the power of the Holy Grail, Medb can summon Celtic soldiers without limitation. With the power of the Holy Grail, she can summon new Servants, even if they're outnumbered by eight Servants to their four.

And not to mention...

"The man who ran away is back."

Medb smiles joyfully, looking at the third person in the hall.

There, the archer holding a great bow slowly appears.

"Arjuna?"

Cú Chulainn directs his gaze toward him.

"Welcome back, Arjuna. Was your outing pleasant?"

Medb continues to wear her ever-present smile.

Facing the mad and evil king and queen, Arjuna maintains a stern expression.

"Same as last time, I will join you."

Arjuna speaks with an expressionless face.

"I have only one request, and you know what it is."

Cú Chulainn makes no expression in response to Arjuna's statement, while Medb enthusiastically nods.

"Of course, we know. The renowned Arjuna, Karna must be yours. You'll surely defeat him, right?"

Medb laughs continuously at Arjuna, but all she receives in return is Arjuna's silence.

And so, Arjuna rejoins the Celtic side, just as speculated by Rozen and the others, becoming an enemy. The number of Servants on the Celtic side increases to five.

However, what happens next is beyond the predictions of Rozen and his companions.

"So, even with Arjuna joining, our fighting strength has increased, but compared to the enemy, the number of Servants is still a bit lacking."

Medb tilts her head and speaks with innocence.

"At least we should add one more, then we'll have a chance of winning."

How to increase the numbers?

Use the Holy Grail to summon?

But if they use the Holy Grail for summoning, to maintain balance, new neutral Servants might be summoned as well.

So...

"Bring that cute toy up here."

Medb, like a child, gives such instructions with an extremely innocent voice.

Subsequently, several Celtic soldiers escort a person into the room.

It's a young girl.

A girl dressed in elegant clothes, with fiery red hair tied into twin ponytails, carrying a long bow on her back. She looks very adorable, with a petite figure.

"She's..."

Seeing this girl, Arjuna's eyes involuntarily freeze.

Because the face, the hair color, and the elegant clothes of the girl are almost identical to Rama.

At this moment, the girl seems extremely weak, almost being dragged in by the Celtic soldiers.

"Ugh..."

A very faint moan escapes the girl's lips.

Watching the girl, Medb seems to be in a very good mood.

"Originally, I only brought you here to lure out that Indian hero. Unexpectedly, there's a time when you can be useful."

Medb's extremely delighted words cause the girl's body to move slightly.

"What... do you want...?"

The girl struggles to ask.

This makes a cruel expression appear on Medb's face.

"Nothing, just felt that fighting to the death with a beloved one is too cruel." Medb giggles, "But, as a myth, it's a common story. Since it's a mythical war, why not let you all perform a tragedy on this battlefield? How does that sound?"

Exactly.

Since summoning new Servants might lead to the appearance of new neutral Servants, it's better not to summon new Servants but to use the ones already summoned. It's more convenient this way.

"It's okay, it won't hurt, probably?"

Medb smiles joyfully, cheerfully, and diligently at the girl in front of her.

In her hand, the golden grail slowly materializes.

Seeing this, the girl seems to realize her fate.

"Lord Rama..."

For the last time, the girl utters the name of her beloved.

Following that, the golden grail radiates with light, enveloping her.

"————"

Amidst the light, the girl's mournful cries faintly echo.

Observing this scene, Arjuna closes his eyes.

Meanwhile, Cú Chulainn remains indifferent throughout, never uttering a word.

The girl succumbs to this fate.

For the impending mythical story, she sacrifices her insignificant self.