Fate/Apocrypha Volume 2 Chapter 2.16

VOLUME 2

Chapter 2

Ch2-16

Choosing the moment when Lancer of Black began fighting against two other Servants from the Red camp, Caster of Black released Berserker of Red. Right now, Lancer of Black was the cornerstone of their camp. Caster of Black judged that he mustn’t be allowed to die.

“Berserker. I am your Master. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand. It seems I can’t continue existing without your power. What an unforgivable enslavement.”

“…Then will you kill me?”

“But I can’t kill you. After all, I have a mission for which I must remain in this present era for even a little bit longer. I must strike down the oppressors and grasp the hope that lies at the end of despair. And finally, I must slaughter all those greedy powerful people who have gathered in search of the Holy Grail.”

“I see. But in order to do that, you must first annihilate the enemy side. Go, Berserker. Your opponents are oppressors and the hounds of those in power. That should be sufficient motive for you.”

Caster released the seal on Berserker. Unable to endure it even a moment longer, Berserker struggled out of his binds and finally took a step forward.

The instant he regained his freedom, he turned towards Caster with a gentle smile like the calm sea. But Caster didn’t react at all. Due to the mask he wore, it was impossible to tell whether he was afraid or even felt any emotion at all.

“…Hmph.”

Seeming to have lost interest in Caster, Berserker of Red turned to face the battlefield. Happily taking a deep breath, he began walking towards the battlefield with his sword that was far bigger than a standard gladius in his hand.

Watching him leave, Caster sighed in exasperation. If he had acted too high-handed, Berserker probably would have withdrawn his previous words (since there was no other Servant as fickle as Berserker) and killed him.

“I’m weak, after all… I would have been killed by a single blow from him.”

Though his skin was as pale as a corpse’s, that man was composed of nothing but muscle. He would probably trample through the battlefield and throw the battle into chaos like a demon, returning everything to nothing.

“Now then, next is—”

Caster had one remaining duty. That was to choose the timing to sacrifice the magus they had chosen and activate his Noble Phantasm. He had Darnic’s permission, so there were no problems in that regard… He felt confident about his own abilities, but he still felt some unease over how far he would really be able to go when up against the best chosen Heroic Spirits. But if he couldn’t overcome them, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his wish.

The wish that Caster of Black, Avicebron, wanted to entrust to the Holy Grail was complicated. Normally, Heroic Spirits fought and killed one another as they advanced through the Holy Grail War in order to grant their wishes. But the circumstances of his case were slightly different.

His wish was to complete his Noble Phantasm, Golem Keter Malkuth: Royal Crown, the Light of Wisdom. Then wouldn’t his wish be granted once he activated his Noble Phantasm?

No, it wouldn’t. In the first place, golems were a part of the Kabbalah style of magecraft, with the word meaning ‘embryo’ or ‘moulded being’. Therefore, golems were nothing other than an attempt to reproduce the secret mystery of how God created the human Adam.

In other words, even if it was completed as a Noble Phantasm, it would still be incomplete. Even if it could wield unparalleled power, it wouldn’t be a truly perfected existence.

A great king who would lead us humans filled with hardship and suffering to the Garden of Eden once more—that was the role he sought in the supreme golem.

He had assembled nearly all the necessary materials. All that was left was the final [core]; in other words, a magus. It would have been great if they could have at least captured that homunculus, but he wouldn’t ask for too much.

‘—Sensei!’

Caster heard a voice from far away. When he turned around and looked up, he saw his Master Roche standing on the castle ramparts and waving his arm innocently at him. Though Caster could see him, Roche was obviously too far for his voice to reach him, so he used telepathic communication.

‘I believe coming out like that is dangerous for you…’

‘Yes! Umm, when you come back… won’t you please look at my golems!? I think I managed to make the latest batch well this time!’

Caster nodded in an impressed manner. The boy’s passion for golems was quite something. When he was given advice, he would immediately try to correct those points and aim to make them better. Back in Caster’s lifetime, Roche might have been able to serve as his pupil with his outstanding talent.

Most of all, Caster liked that there was a family lineage that still continued to pass on the mysteries of golem-making that he and his forefathers had created.

‘I’ll look it over if there’s time.’

‘Y…Yes!’

Roche seemed like he still wanted to say more, but he finally hung his head as if embarrassed and drew back into the castle.

“Even so, I’m bad with children.”

In the first place, Caster had suffered from many illnesses during his life, and had spent his days with almost zero contact with other humans. He had even purposefully created maid-type golems to take care of the housework in order to maintain his isolation.

As a result, he had never had any contact with children, and as such, this situation where a child adored and idolized him like this was simply baffling and uncomfortable for him.

How ironic. He, who was trying to create the original human Adam in order to reproduce God’s miracle, couldn’t help disliking humans.

“—Good grief.”

It would be a lie to say that Caster felt no hesitation over using a magus as the [core]. Even so, completing his Noble Phantasm was Caster’s dearest wish. Therefore, it was necessary to have the resolution to sacrifice everything for the sake of winning.

And besides, he had received permission from Darnic. That man—Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia would probably be passingly adequate as the [core]. Caster personally wanted to aim for something better to use as his Noble Phantasm, but there were no other options besides Gordes available.

Caster felt just a little disappointment over that.