[FDJ]Chapter 110: Abnormal State

"Berserker Godfrey, withdrew?"

Suzuki was greatly surprised. He had seen the information on that silver-armored berserker, with attributes that exceeded the norm and an unreasonable skill—the Guardian of the Holy Tomb—along with an A+++ ranked Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. Just by looking at the specific information, Suzuki felt the difficulty of dealing with him. That Servant was considered at the top level among all the Servant data collected by the Chaldea organization, and one could even say that aside from the incomplete data Servants, none could surpass him.

"Berserker withdrew? How is that possible?!" Suzuki stood up in astonishment. The strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War was the first one to withdraw. He found it hard to believe. Just how powerful of an existence could defeat Berserker? Was it the massive group of bubbles known as "Yog-Sothoth" that appeared in the sky?

Suzuki failed to notice the equally surprised expression on Saladin's face beside him. Although Saladin had never seen Godfrey in his Servant form, he had heard of his exploits of leading a lone army to this land and conquering the Holy City of Jerusalem through consecutive victories. These deeds had only taken place less than a hundred years ago. A hundred years was not enough time for those deeds to evolve into mythical legends, but to people of this era like Saladin, the initiator of the Crusades was a legend. Without divine protection, how could humans cross thousands of mountains and rivers based solely on their beliefs and achieve such "miracles" with only a few tens of thousands of people?

Eleanor, who had returned in haste, was not surprised by Suzuki and Saladin's reactions. She was also shocked upon receiving this information, but since it was something acknowledged by none other than Baldwin I, the same class intermediary as herself, she had no reason to doubt it.

"It is true. I swear in the name of the Master."

Upon hearing Eleanor's solemn statement, even Saladin had no choice but to believe. Essentially, it was a good thing for him that Berserker Godfrey was no longer there. The Crusaders in the Holy City must be extremely anxious now, and he needed to be prepared for a possible strong enemy attack tonight.

Suzuki, on the other hand, pursued another matter. His observational skills in the Holy Grail War were unexpectedly sharp. "In my memory, Aphaf was heavily injured. Her magical circuits and Mystic Eyes were damaged. Why..."

"I don't know. When I settled you down and went back to rescue Aphaf and her Servant, not only were her injuries completely healed, but her Mystic Eyes and magical circuits were also restored to their original state. Even the magical energy within her body was in a state of abundance. After a night of intense battle, she not only didn't rely on the magical energy supplied by her Servant but also used a considerable amount of her magecraft. This kind of situation should not be possible."

Eleanor also didn't have much understanding of what happened after she brought Suzuki back alone. She planned to leave the monster bubbles and let her allies collect the bodies, but when she returned to the battlefield in the early morning, all she saw was scorched earth that had been plowed through, as well as Aphaf, accompanied by Baldwin I.

"Return for rescue? Wasn't she on our chariot?" Suzuki suspected that something extraordinary must have happened during his unconsciousness. The strongest Berserker withdrew, and Aphaf emerged unscathed...

"What about the group of 'bubble' monsters that appeared for the third time?"

Eleanor's eyebrows visibly furrowed as Suzuki bombarded her with questions. However, she maintained her previous tone and answered, "If the Servants on the side of the Holy City are not lying, Berserker miraculously defeated all the bubbles that descended through the giant gates at dawn. Afterward, he withdrew. I checked the magical energy at the scene; strictly speaking, it didn't require checking. The sacred attribute's magical energy cleansed everything heretical within that area at dawn."

Suzuki failed to notice that Saladin, upon hearing this, secretly used divination magic. After Eleanor gave him a couple of glances, Saladin continued to silently chant a spell.

"Old timer, what are you suspicious of?" Eleanor suddenly spoke up, abandoning her polite attitude from the previous two days, and her gaze instantly became sharp.

"No, I don't need to doubt you." Saladin calmly retorted to Rider Eleanor, but when Suzuki turned around, he ceased his divination magic. "I suppose we should wait for Aphaf to wake up and ask her the answers to these questions. Speculating back and forth is pointless. What do you think, young man?"

Suzuki observed Saladin and his own Servant, Eleanor, feeling that both of them were slightly different from before he woke up today. Perhaps it was supposed to be this way, and a sense of unease flashed through his mind. The Servant he summoned this time was different from Saber Jeanne d'Arc. Although she was more silent and warlike than her historical image, she was far easier to deal with than Eleanor.

Suzuki was starting to suspect that he had become Eleanor's Servant. He didn't mind working together and assisting in strategizing and tactics, but Eleanor completely took the initiative in this regard. Suzuki himself became a retainer carrying command seals.

Saladin was on the verge of discarding the label of "having ulterior motives." 

If it had nothing to do with the Holy Grail War, he wouldn't bother, but it seemed that it did, at least for now.

Gathering up the courage, Suzuki Yuuki stood up and took a step back, walking to a position close to Eleanor. He asked Saladin directly, "Your Excellency Saladin, you mentioned earlier that you were the one who initially summoned Alter Don Quixote. So, what is your wish? To seize the Holy City of Jerusalem?"

Saladin's expression noticeably worsened, and his previous weariness took on a gloomy meaning. "Young man, knowing too much is not good. Your magic origin is 'Analysis,' right? It perfectly suits your role as a Master in the Holy Grail War, combined with your custom-made precise and orderly magic circuits. People from the future like you have so many tricks up your sleeves, capable of anything. If there is something that attracts me more than the Holy City, it would be my goal. Do you understand? Likewise, in the name of Allah, I swear that I have committed no crimes against humanity in these recent events."

In reverse interpretation, Saladin was essentially declaring that he had either committed or would commit no crimes against humanity that contradicted the natural order. He, like Aetius, carefully pondered the term "humanity" and immediately realized that it did not always represent justice and goodness. It simply denoted what was correct and aligned with the future choices of humanity. Today, Suzuki might be assisting him in the name of humanity, but perhaps in a long time, other magus who claimed to uphold humanity would stand in opposition to him.

Saladin was grateful that at this moment in 1187, wiping out the enemy or eliminating his control over Egypt did not align with humanity. The collective future choices of humanity favored balance rather than blindly favoring Christianity and the Crusaders. However, this didn't prevent him from scoffing at the term "humanity." It seemed that everything on the mystical side had no direct relation to "human nature."

Suzuki remained speechless on this matter. Regarding the question of humanity, his stance was unwavering without exceptions. Upholding humanity meant allies while opposing humanity meant enemies. It was engraved in his body, limbs, and soul like a curse, leaving no room for negotiation or retreat.

"I understand. Rider, we no longer need to doubt Sultan Saladin's credibility."

"Master, I have never doubted Sultan Saladin's credibility, and of course, his character as well." Eleanor's expression softened a little, and there was a hint of deliberate imitation of Saladin in her tone.

Apart from Suzuki, both of them were wielders of political power, and they couldn't trust each other from the beginning. Only interests could achieve temporary alliances, even though Eleanor was one of the initiators of the Second Crusade in history. Suzuki's understanding of the conflict between the two major religions remained superficial, thinking that it was normal for the two sides to ally in the name of humanity's greater cause.

The conversation ended on an unpleasant note, and Suzuki, accompanied by Rider Eleanor met Aphaf, who was housed in a nearby mansion. The 15-year-old girl was attended to by several female servants and remained in a state of unconsciousness. Her closed eyes and regular breathing seemed to contradict Suzuki and Eleanor's memories of seeing illusions the previous night.

Upon entering the room, the female servants appeared surprised and were quickly urged to leave by the female official who had accompanied them.

"What's wrong?" Suzuki could roughly sense the issue, vaguely remembering the many taboos associated with the other party's religion.

"Nothing, esteemed guest. As you can see, Lady Aphaf is in good health, but she won't wake up for the time being. The doctors have conducted thorough examinations," the official replied before voluntarily leaving a corner of the room.

Once inside, Eleanor's attention was fixed on a book by Aphaf's bedside. The faint outline of the book gave a peculiar sense of overlapping reality and illusion. Don Quixote was not present.

"Where did Don Quixote go?" Suzuki noticed the command seals on the back of Aphaf's hand, but the elderly knight was nowhere to be found. There were no signs in the vicinity either.

"Perhaps the book in Aphaf's hands is the true form of the Alter Ego Don Quixote. She mentioned the book multiple times last night and forced herself to get off the chariot and turn back," Eleanor explained without hesitation, although she hadn't done anything wrong at the time.

Suzuki took a few steps forward and carefully examined the book. He could make out the title of the book written in Spanish. Unsurprisingly, the title was "Don Quixote."

Recalling the information he unconsciously obtained about Don Quixote, the peculiar nature of his existence in the form of an illusion, his true form could be a book.

"Master, have you discovered something?" Eleanor had the thought of picking up the book and flipping through its pages, but she refrained from doing so to avoid any misunderstandings.

Upon hearing the question, Suzuki instinctively took another step forward and reached out to touch the book at Aphaf's bedside.

Instantly, the book emitted a faint light and magically flicked Suzuki's fingers away.

He was unharmed but startled by the experience.

When he touched the book, he once again caught glimpses of information about Don Quixote. Undoubtedly, this book was truly a form of Alter Ego Don Quixote.

"Currently, Alter Ego Don Quixote has indeed transformed into this book," Suzuki hesitated for a moment before speaking to Eleanor.

"Let Aphaf explain everything once she wakes up," Eleanor responded, certain that their ally was still useful. She had no intention of pursuing further inquiries and was even less concerned about unnecessary individuals than Suzuki.

Just as Suzuki was about to turn around and leave with Eleanor, he caught a glimpse of unidentified information similar to a Servant from Aphaf. It was only a few lines of scrambled data and quickly disappeared, but Suzuki was certain that he hadn't imagined it.

"Wait, Rider."