32

031 - The Daughter

Altera Larva

I have found a nice spot on the rooftop to sit on and watch the city. It's nice and comfy and, once the sun goes down, I can see all the lights shining against the darkness of the night. It's beautiful and the Maiden would've loved it. I find it a bit boring, but I have nothing better to do while Master locks herself up in her study.

It's strange, this world I have been summoned into. So many people walking around, fragile and unaware. Crowding the streets of a world so different from the wild plains Altera conquered in life, from the kaleidoscopic landscape constructs Altera conquered in the Moon Cell. There are so many and they're so useless. They can't fight, they can't run, they don't even pay tribute. And yet, Master considers their safety her responsibility and goes out of her way to protect them.

… Is that how a real King of people sees her subjects?

I don't know. The Warrior was called King, but she only knew Combat.

I'm not the King now, so it doesn't matter anyway. Master is. Sometimes, Master reminds me of the Warrior. She can be very cold and ruthless when she feels the need. But when it comes to this city of Fuyuki, her Kingdom, Master reminds me of the Goddess instead. Then again, Master's subjects are kind of useless, they don't even know who their King is.

… I'm sure Master knows what she's doing. And Fuyuki City is a great place anyway, so Master is obviously doing something right. Peaceful and full of life.

I'm happy just staying with Master though, I don't care too much if it's here or somewhere else. My Master who can be cold and ruthless like the Warrior, but is actually kind and caring like the Goddess and can even become cute and bashful like the Maiden sometimes. It's amusing to watch.

… Maybe 'Master' is a bit like 'Altera'? Servants are supposed to be compatible with their Masters, after all. I have no idea why it was 'me' that was summoned though, since I'm neither of them. My arms wrap around my knees as my body curls up into a ball as I remember that I'm an aberration that shouldn't even exist, that there's no place for me in the world and only void and oblivion awaits once this War is over.

'Archer, I'm taking a break to make dinner.' Master's telepathic call interrupts my thoughts, sending a feeling through the bond that reminds of outstretched arms and rolling shoulders. 'Want to come in and help me make pizza?'

'Pizza?' I perk up at that name. 'Altera' never experienced pizza, but the Grail downloaded enough information into my mind to know about it. It's supposed to be delicious. 'Can I pick the topping?'

'Sure, but no pineapple.'

'Pineapple pizza is bad civilization.' I agree without any need to reflect on it, some truths simply are.

'That's my Servant.' Master comments cheerfully. 'Now hurry to the kitchen or I'll start without you!'

I feel something warm within my chest as I hurry to astralize and go through the walls, but there isn't a hint of blushing on my cheeks once I materialize in front of Master. My face is one of collected aloofness, unflappable even in front of words of praise and acceptance.

"Oh, there you are, Archer. I think we could–" Master cuts herself, drawing her face closer to examine my face with a frown. "Are you feeling alright, Archer? Your face looks awfully red, can Servants catch the flu?"

"I'll be fine, Master." I answer smoothly. I don't know what Master is talking about. "The pizza?"

The silence stretches as Master raises an eyebrow, as if for some reason incredulous about my reasurances. The room temperature increases until it reaches an uncomfortable point, but I remain stoic and calm under Master's implacable gaze. In the end, she drops the topic with a shake of her head and a smile.

"Suit yourself." She answers with an amused huff. Did I accidentally say something funny? "Still remember how to begin?"

"Put on the apron, wash my hands." I put the incident behind us to recite obediently, remembering the health and safety lessons from last time. The world has gone a long way since Altera's time with the huns. "Then we prep the cooking space."

"Good, good! Let's get to it then, okay!"

"Un."

Pizza is actually quite easy to make, you just need to shape the dough and spread the sauce and toppings on it. Then you put it in the oven. The hardest part is paying attention so it doesn't burn, because the heat is turned very high. But I stand guard right in front of the oven and pay attention to the clock to make sure we time it all right.

Soon, we have three steaming hot pizzas resting on the table right in front of us. One is pepperoni and Master says it's a classic, another is all vegetables and Master said I'm not allowed to leave it on the plate and the last one has smoked salmon, cured chicken, salted mackerel, mushrooms, anchovies, mussels, tuna, bacon, sweet onions and olives with extra sauce and extra cheese and extra smoked salmon. I picked up the ingredients for that last one and Master smiled a lot while we were making it.

The Maiden would've loved this.

"Everything looks great. Good job, Archer." A hand falls on top of my head, ruffling my hair a bit and making my chest go warm again. "Shall we set the table?

Dinner is nice, pizza tastes great. At first, I'm a bit upset because I thought Master's pizzas were better than mine, but then Master smiled big and wide and ate my pizza whole. She said she was leaving the best for the last and that she was stuffed after my very tasty pizza, so I could eat everything else.

I still liked the pepperoni pizza the best, but I'll be happy as long as Master enjoyed mine.

After dinner and a long bathroom break, Master sits on the couch with a book. Altera never knew how to read. There was no point in literacy when one lived their whole lives on a horse's back, books were just dead weight to leave behind. Of course, there was even less point in literacy during… the other Altera's life.

I know how to read, though. The Grail considers it a basic skill and put the necessary knowledge into my brain when I was summoned here. I don't know whether Master knows this or not or what she thinks about it and I haven't said anything yet. The idea of a sheet of paper telling stories or giving out lessons on its own is interesting, but 'Altera' never read a book. Somehow, asking for books of my own doesn't feel… right.

"Archer?" Master calls, interrupting my thoughts once again. "Don't just stand there."

"... Master?" I tilt my head in confusion, what is Master talking about?

"I got this book so we could read it together and I can't get a refund after breaking the packaging." She huffs, patting her lap with a hand. "So you better come here, sit with me and enjoy it, because I hate wasting money."

"Ah..." My eyes burn with dedication as I understand Master's silent command. "Un!"

I hurry to sit on Master's lap, and we read together the story of a troll who lived under a bridge and was bigger and stronger than the goats who wanted to cross. Except the big brother goat who came last and was bigger and stronger than the troll and put it in a submission hold before german-supplexing it so hard it bounced into the moon.

That was one strong goat, for sure. The ground must have been very solid too. I'm pretty sure I would've buried Lancer on a crater if I had tried that with him.

Then we learn about a wolf who ate six kidskin siblings but missed the last one, who waited until he fell asleep and opened up his stomach to rescue his brothers and fill it with stones instead. Then they kicked the wolf into a river so he would drown.

It was silly, but Master wrapped an arm around me when I pointed it out and let me cuddle closer, so I didn't mind too much. We kept reading stories and it was warm and nice and I hope we do this again.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about existing. I'm 'Altera', but I'm not the Warrior, I'm not the Goddess, I'm not the Maiden. I really shouldn't be here. And yet, every time I start feeling down, Master tells me a story, or puts a hand on my head, or calls me to help her make pizza and I forget all about it.

I am the Daughter, and I exist carrying a bit of everyone else within me. That'll have to be enough.

The front door bell rings then, and I suddenly feel a heavy presence nearby.

"Master." I warn, jumping off her lap and summoning [Photon Ray] to my hand. "There's a Master and a Servant at the door."

Master nods once, a serious expression in her face as she hides the Goddess and lets the Warrior out. Gone is the kind warmth to make way for ruthless pragmatism. A gem is dropped to the floor, and a crystalline replica of Master grows out of it.

"Get into a vantage point and get your Noble Phantasm ready." She instructs. "I'll send the simulacra to open the door. If they're hostile, I want you to blast them out of the face of creation. We can figure out how to explain the destruction later."

"Acknowledged." I nod, before hesitating for a moment. This plan isn't very risky, but there are better options to take down an exposed enemy. "Can't I strike them down from the start?"

"Now now, Archer. That would be terribly rude when they've bothered with ringing the bell." Master answers coyly, already retreating to the safest parts of the house in preparation for the violence. "And we are kind of looking for an ally, so we should hear them out before doing anything drastic."

I don't care much about rudeness, but I nod at Master's answer all the same, noting how she's declining to fight head on this one time. We're not meeting on the battlefield after all, but being invaded. If an enemy is confident enough to take us on in a rigged battlefield, it's only right to make them bleed for every inch they take.

I reach for my perch on the roof, studying our enemy as I prepare [Photon Ray] to open fire.

The Master is a little girl looking upset and radiating an overwhelming amount of prana… for a modern human, that is. The Servant is a tall woman with animal features wielding a bow and letting out a feeling of cornered wariness. She swiftly pinpoints my presence and steps between her Master and me with a warning growl.

Before she can take further action though, her Master puts a hand on her back causing her to stiffen and take a deep breath, gripping her bow hard enough that I hear it cracking but managing to force herself to relax. That's remarkable self-control for a Berserker.

'I'm ready to strike, Master.' I announce through the link. 'Proceed at your leisure'

'Received, let's see what this is all about.'

Right as the unknown Master is reaching to ring the bell again, the crystalline copy of Master startles her by opening up the door. I don't believe for an instant that it wasn't a calculated move. Master can be ruthless like that.

"My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, Master of the Berserker-Class servant Atalanta for this Fifth Holy Grail War." The girl recovers fast, introducing herself with a stiff curtsy. "Coming in peace and with nothing to hide, I put myself at Tohasaka's mercy and hope to partake in their hospitality for tonight."

… Considering the disbelieving noise that comes from deep within the house in response, that wasn't something Master was expecting to hear tonight.