2 [FDJ]Chapter 2: Seeing Through the True Name

Timeline Confirmation: A.D. Winter 2004, Fuyuki City - Singularity F, Foundation Value: C.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a night's rest, Matou Shinji, with a backpack filled with food and drinking water on his back, contacted the nearby Servant who was patrolling the area through a command spell. He tossed a pack of compressed biscuits that he couldn't let go of to his new companion beside him.

He only remembered the name Suzuki Yuki. Yuki, somewhat slow in response, took the biscuits as if not yet synchronized with the environment he was in.

"Bro, we're about to set off. Aren't you going to collect some food to carry with you?" Shinji's idea of collecting involved forcefully breaking the doors of other floors with a hammer, going in to search, and putting any edible food and bottled water he found into his backpack. The backpack itself was scavenged from an empty house along the way.

"Food?" Yuki stuffed the compressed biscuits into the pocket of his jacket and continued to stuff the bread on the table into his mouth.

"Oh my, did you suffer a head injury? I wonder how you managed to survive for a month. Your reactions are so slow." Shinji threw the other backpack he had taken while collecting things at Yuki. "Hurry up, my Servant Lancer will return soon. Be ready before then. She's not easy to deal with. If you keep dawdling like this, she'll kill you!"

Shinji said, wiping his neck, trying to intimidate him. Generally, he didn't waste much time talking to other males of his age. Perhaps he still remembered yesterday when the stronghold was overrun by a skeletal army and only he managed to escape with Lancer. The number of survivors was dwindling, and he had no idea how to leave the devastated Fuyuki City.

Yuki nodded in agreement, understanding what Shinji was asking for, and immediately began organizing his belongings, preparing to set off.

Shinji practically moved all the packaged food in the entire apartment building to the room where the two of them rested last night. After filling his backpack, there was still a whole box of food left against the wall. Under Shinji's guidance, Yuki put some medicine and a flashlight into his bag.

"Where are we going after we're ready?"

Having completed Shinji's request, Yuki, with the backpack on his back, once again fell into confusion. He didn't behave like a normal person at all, as if he didn't know what to do without someone else's instructions.

"To the harbor! The harbor of Fuyuki City! Didn't I briefly explain our next plan to you last night? Suzuki-kun, even if I'm willing to help you, you won't survive long if you continue like this."

Coincidentally, there was a calendar hanging in the corner of the living room of this house, displaying a map of Fuyuki City. Although the landmarks marked on the map had long been destroyed.

Shinji walked over to the calendar and pointed to the top of the map, indicating the position at the end of the river that ran through the city. "I plan to head to the harbor. Perhaps we can find a ship there to leave this cursed place. Of course, according to the information I obtained from other survivors, the number of monsters in that area is scarce, and it would also be a good choice for a new stronghold. Anyway, I just want to leave Fuyuki City as soon as possible."

"Why do we have to go through all this trouble to escape..."

"What? Of course, to stay alive!"

Shinji angrily slapped the wall and walked out first. As he was about to step out of the entrance, he turned his head and shouted, "Hurry up! My Servant has already returned. Don't make her angry!"

Yuki looked at the "Fuyuki City Map" on the wall. The city was divided into two parts by the river, with a magnified image of a bridge in the center of the map, which seemed to be a tourist attraction of the city. The new city area was marked with detailed commercial blocks, while the old city area mainly consisted of landmarks. On the left side of the map, beyond the city, mountains and forests were also marked.

Yuki tore off a page from the calendar on the wall, the one with the map, and stuffed it into his backpack. He hurriedly ran down the stairs and saw the tall woman who was with Shinji yesterday.

Lancer's snake-like eyes scanned Suzuki Yuki's body, not missing any suspicious details.

"Human, although your answer yesterday still doesn't satisfy me, my Master has decided to keep you. Don't cause trouble for us! We're heading to the harbor now. It's daytime, so there might be roaming monsters. If you happen to get separated, we won't care about your fate. Remember that," the woman pointed to her own Master, Matou Shinji. "You should stick close to him. I only guarantee the safety of my Master. Also, you can call me Lancer."

Lancer carried a strange-looking scythe on her back, and there were lingering fires on the destroyed streets. The flames had magical properties and would not extinguish until the disaster ended.

"I understand."

"Very well, Suzuki-kun, stay close to me. If any enemies are approaching, Lancer will eliminate them for us."

The woman walked at the front, having already chosen the route to the harbor. There were no living people on the destroyed main street, and no enemies for the time being. Looking up, they could only see the dust covering the sky and the inconspicuous sun. The air quality was poor, not just because of the burning flames, but also due to the high concentration of something that shouldn't usually be present.

After walking for about 20 minutes, Shinji seemed to remember something and asked his Servant, "Lancer, did you go in the direction of the bridge for reconnaissance last night?"

"I only took a distant look for a few minutes. Rider was lingering in the middle of the bridge, where a group of about four thousand skeletal soldiers had gathered. Dealing with the increased number of Rider's summoned skeletons would be troublesome for me, and Rider herself is also a formidable opponent. I suggest not getting close to that area."

Shinji had a purpose that required crossing the bridge, while Yuki simply followed and listened to their conversation. He still couldn't recall his memories before waking up.

His name was "Suzuki Yuki," and he came from the Chaldea organization, for... eliminating anomalies in the Singularities.

Therefore, the "destroyed Fuyuki City" where he is located is the anomaly he needs to eliminate, and this is the Singularity.

Lancer? Yuki remembered that Shinji referred to the tall woman as Lancer, and the woman just now also asked him to address her that way.

"...In the Holy Grail War, the magus who participate as contestants are called 'Masters,' and they each summon a 'Servant' through the Holy Grail system to fight together as partners. The normal Holy Grail War has seven spots for Masters, and correspondingly, there are seven Servants. They are divided into seven classes based on their 'Class'...," Yuki recalled the knowledge about Servants, which he had been taught by someone like a teacher, regarding the known information about the Holy Grail War.

"Rider belongs to the Lower Four Knights and is generally one level weaker than the Upper Three Knights Servants. Why...?"

Before Yuki could finish speaking, the woman glared back at him with her terrifying snake-like eyes.

"That Servant is not fighting alone. She is constantly surrounded by an army of undead soldiers. Although individually weak, their combined strength, along with Rider's Noble Phantasm, unleashes an explosive force that I cannot withstand. As an Upper Three Knights Servant, I cannot defeat Rider in a confrontation. I apologize for the inconvenience!" The woman stopped walking as she revealed her hostility towards Yuki, making the trip to the harbor the second priority due to the information inadvertently revealed by him.

"Wait! Lancer, Suzuki-kun just spoke without thinking. Isn't it safer for us to hurry to the harbor?" Shinji, seeing his Servant about to attack the "picked up" companion, quickly stepped in to stop her. He, as a Master, had poor intuition, and in a normal Holy Grail War, Suzuki Yuki would be considered either a spy for another Master or someone closely related to them.

Lancer took a few steps forward and pushed her own Master behind her. "Would an ordinary person know about Servants? Speak up, a human who calls yourself Suzuki Yuki. What is your purpose, and why did you venture to join us?"

It was because Lancer believed that Suzuki Yuki had value that she didn't draw her weapon, only intimidating him. Otherwise, she would have swung her blade and beheaded Suzuki Yuki earlier.

"I... I don't know..." Suzuki Yuki himself realized that saying he didn't know would not convince the other party at all. Moreover, seeing Lancer on the verge of erupting with anger at any moment, he became weak in his knees and almost fell.

The gap between humans and Servants was too great. A Servant could easily kill a mere human like squashing a bug. Lancer, Medusa, happened to be a Servant aligned with the "unjust" side, and her ability to remain calm in this situation was thanks to the Holy Grail War had turned into a survival competition.

"Suzuki-kun, quickly tell Lancer everything you know without holding back! I can't stop her. Isn't your life more important?" With Lancer's warning just now, Shinji understood that the young man he inexplicably "picked up" yesterday was not ordinary and likely held valuable information.

Even if Lancer didn't intervene now, Shinji wouldn't dare to approach Suzuki Yuki again. He was terrified to the point of being petrified.

"I... really..."

"Noble Phantasms. Noble Phantasms are the cherished treasures of Heroic Spirits, the crystallization of their achievements during their lifetimes. Usually, they require the Servant to release their True Name, that is, to call out their name. Obtaining information about the Servant through their Noble Phantasm and deducing their True Name is also a way. Therefore, Servants do not immediately use their Noble Phantasms in battle..."

"I don't have memories from before waking up here, but I vaguely recall some knowledge related to the Holy Grail War."

Yuki's explanation was observed by Medusa, the entire time, and she could confirm that he was mostly telling the truth.

"Interesting. Are you some kind of living encyclopedia of the Holy Grail War? Since you're not willing to cooperate, I'll start by severing your hands. My scythe can not only cut down mere humans but also slay immortal monsters, preventing their regeneration!" Lancer said as she turned her scythe from her back into her hand, her snake-like eyes instantly fixing on Yuki's neck.

"Your true name is Medusa, right?"

Upon hearing these words, Lancer froze. She and Shinji might have truly "picked up" a living encyclopedia of the Holy Grail War this time.

"Your eyes have been exerting a strong oppressive feeling on me, like the eyes of a snake. The unique design of the scythe you use, and the fact that you just mentioned a specific countermeasure against immortality, as far as I know, the only weapon that fits is 'Harpe, the Slaughterer of Undying.' Coincidentally, in Greek mythology, there was a hero with snake-like eyes who was beheaded by 'Harpe, the Slaughterer of Undying,' thus breaking his immortality."

Yuki unconsciously voiced this speculation, his mind quickly flashing through dozens of names of heroes from history, mythology, and legends who resembled the tall woman before him. Eventually, he settled on "Medusa, the Snake-haired Gorgon," which matched all the known information.

"A hero? Hahaha, you know how to flatter someone. Master, let's temporarily take him with us to the harbor. He seems to have truly lost his memories."

Medusa put away her scythe and once again walked ahead of the group, her golden snake-like eyes still faintly assessing the anxious Suzuki Yuki. "If I detect even the slightest hint of deception from you... you should know what happens to living beings on the island according to myth. Humans."

===============================----

Check My Other Work: Shinji Matou At Your Service