-868- Double your efforts

"Senpai..."

Feeling Rozen's comforting touch on her head, Mash simultaneously felt reassured and guilty.

"I'm sorry for making you worry."

Mash expressed her disappointment.

Evidently, what Rozen mentioned earlier was indeed a fact. Mash had been feeling guilty for not being able to protect Rozen.

It was only natural.

She had considered herself Rozen's shield, not aiming for powerful combat abilities but to ensure she could protect Rozen, allowing him to act in every singularity with peace of mind.

"Even though we made a promise..."

Half a year ago, before Rozen left Chaldea, they made a promise to grow together and continue walking the path of restoring humanity's foundation together.

However, over the past six months, Rozen had grown to an astonishing degree. From the second singularity onwards, he consistently revealed surprising techniques, even advancing rapidly in magical expertise, breaking through three singularities in just two weeks to arrive at this fifth singularity.

Comparatively, Mash, while she had grown, paled in comparison to Rozen. She couldn't protect Rozen, even when he was so close, resulting in him getting hit by Cu Chulainn's demonic lance. If not for Rozen's exceptional abilities, he might have died by now.

Thinking of such consequences, Mash couldn't turn a blind eye, and the feeling of self-blame continued to surge within her.

But she hadn't shown it; Mash had concealed it well in front of others.

However, who was Rozen?

"I've known you for quite some time. I can tell what you're thinking with just a glance."

Rozen shrugged.

In fact, even without seeing Mash, based on his understanding of her, Rozen could easily guess what Mash was thinking. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here immediately.

"Senpai..."

Learning about this, instead of finding comfort, Mash felt even more disheartened.

"Am I worthless, Senpai?"

Mash's voice became very weak.

"Why would you say that?"

Rozen felt somewhat amused but patiently inquired.

"Because, not only was I unable to protect you, but I also made you worry. I'm your Servant, Senpai. I should be here to help you, not cause you trouble."

Mash's despondency seemed irrepressible.

"Well, you're wrong."

Rozen shook his head and continued, "The existence of a Servant isn't just to help the Master in times of trouble. A Master doesn't summon a Servant just to have a helper in times of need. It's to fight together."

If they merely wanted assistance in times of trouble, there were many other ways to achieve that.

However, facing battles where even the foundation of humanity was being burned away, human strength had its limits. They needed the power of the heroic spirits, the guardians of the world, themselves.

The original "Heroic Spirit Summoning" was designed to protect the world, countering great disasters capable of destroying humanity. Hence, seven emissaries of the heavens were summoned by the world itself.

Therefore, the existence of Heroic Spirits is the world's defense mechanism, not merely summoned to assist the Master in times of trouble.

At least, Rozen doesn't need that kind of assistance.

"I am a Master, and what I lack are allies, familiars, and Servants who can fight alongside me. If it were only about thinking hard and solving difficulties, I could manage on my own. It's because there are things I can't do on my own that I need to form contracts with all of you."

Rozen said to Mash in this manner.

Although there was some comforting intent, fundamentally, this was Rozen's perspective.

If he could handle everything on his own, there would be no need to summon familiars and Servants. Rozen diligently practiced the "Summoning Arts" precisely because he needed to harness the power of familiars and Servants.

Of course, this was just a negligible reason.

Rozen's ultimate goal in mastering the "Summoning Arts" was to explore the mysteries, grasp miracles, essentially adopting the perspective of a very orthodox Magus.

However, at present, there was no need to voice these thoughts. Otherwise, it would be too insensitive.

Even though Rozen was far from being described as considerate, he had, surprisingly, become accommodating and gentle in the face of Mash.

In this situation...

"But I was right there, Senpai, and you almost got killed..."

Mash finally expressed what had been weighing on her mind.

"Well, that was unavoidable, wasn't it?" Rozen said somewhat helplessly. "Cu Chulainn's lance is too deadly for humans like us with vulnerable hearts. It's more terrifying than any Noble Phantasm. A cursed lance that can reverse causality, hitting the heart with no defense possible. Even if Scáthach-sensei were by my side, there's no guarantee I would have survived in that situation."

This, too, was a fact.

"The opponent is none other than the Celtic king, the Light of Ulster, the son of the sun god Lugh, a demigod and a great hero. As for you, you've only had the power of a Heroic Spirit for less than a year, and you've managed to reach this singularity. That's enough to prove your excellence. There's no need to be disheartened just because of this."

Rozen ruffled Mash's head somewhat barbarically, causing Mash to exclaim in surprise, while he continued with a smile.

"Besides, even if you were closer to me, Kinu is closer still. In fact, it was right on me. But still, he couldn't react in time to protect me from Cu Chulainn's lance, and he's the most upset about it."

This, too, was a fact.

After the incident, Kinu was indeed very angry at itself for not reacting in time to protect Rozen from the demonic lance. Coupled with the fact that the opponent was merely a son of a sun god, a demigod and the Light of Ulster itself, it made Kinu furious.

If Rozen hadn't stopped it, Kinu would have revealed itself on the spot, unleashing all its divine power, resulting in the deaths of all the present Servants, Rozen's magical energy being completely drained, and all the indigenous people dying on the spot.

Naturally, Rozen wouldn't let Kinu do that, and it took a great deal of effort to calm it down.

"So, it's not about proximity being useful. The power of that lance is so overwhelming that it doesn't mean your abilities are lacking."

Rozen comforted Mash bit by bit.

"If you really can't let it go, then double your efforts next time," Rozen looked at Mash and said, "It's normal to fail the first time; what we aim for is to prevent the second failure, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Mash's eyes shimmered slightly.

"Not letting the second failure happen..."

Mash whispered softly, then displayed a determined expression.

"Yes, Senpai," Mash said earnestly, "I won't let the second failure happen again."

If there's a next time, I'll definitely protect Senpai, protect Master.

The sense of loss in Mash's heart was gradually replaced by such determination.

Seeing this, Rozen smiled with satisfaction.