[FDJ]Chapter 39: Sunrise

Suzuki woke up at dawn the next day, and the candles inside the tent had long since been extinguished. With the faint light, he scanned the tent but did not see Jeanne.

The dreams from last night were all connected to fire, whether his own or the parts related to Jeanne. Suzuki didn't want to lie down any longer; he was afraid that he would continue to have various dreams related to flames if he fell asleep again.

"Jeanne? Jeanne? Are you nearby?"

Suzuki thought that Jeanne might have taken on her spiritual form to conserve mana. But despite calling out several times, there was no response. Feeling puzzled, Suzuki got up and dressed, attempting to use the bond between him and Jeanne to contact her. She was close, but there was no response from her.

Stepping out of the tent, Suzuki saw two slave women wrapped in linen cloth lying near the entrance. His actions startled the two slaves, but he paid no attention to their anxious retreat or the language they were speaking. Matters unrelated to the Holy Grail War were not something he could afford to ignore, especially now that Jeanne was nowhere to be found. He had no interest in paying attention to people who were not involved in the Holy Grail War.

Not far away, in an open space, Suzuki spotted Berserker, standing with a sword in hand. Sensing Suzuki's approach, Berserker gave him a menacing glare, clearly indicating that he didn't welcome Suzuki's proximity or anyone other than someone emitting the presence of a saint.

Asking a berserk Servant for answers would not yield any results. Suzuki bypassed the fence and didn't approach Berserker. The giant sword held by Berserker was even larger and taller than Suzuki himself, and just locking eyes with him was enough to make Suzuki afraid.

It was hard to imagine a normal person wielding such a gigantic sword like a door panel. Suzuki recalled his knowledge, realizing that there wasn't much information about La Hire, and in actual history, he shouldn't have used such an exaggerated massive sword. Berserker's depiction was influenced more by later interpretations.

In the Huns army camp at dawn, there were soldiers on patrol and the bustling activities of the Huns starting their day. Suzuki walked among them without arousing the Huns' suspicion. On the contrary, they greeted him as an esteemed guest, completely concealing their savage side that Suzuki wouldn't witness.

On a raised pile of stones, Suzuki found his Servant, Jeanne. At this moment, Jeanne was praying in the direction of the rising sun, and the sunrise illuminated her silver armor and her beautiful golden hair.

Bathed in the morning sun, Jeanne had already recovered from the injuries she sustained from Rider's Noble Phantasm yesterday. She was now in good condition and ready to engage in battle with any enemy.

"Master, did you sleep well?" Jeanne quickly noticed Suzuki approaching and opened her eyes, gracefully leaping down from the pile of stones. "I thought you would be lazy and sleep until the sun was fully risen."

"We won't waste any time today. Let's take advantage of Assassin's injured state and expand our advantage."

In Suzuki's mind, there was only the Holy Grail War, and fortunately, Jeanne also scoffed at romantic and aristocratic matters.

"It's best for you to stay in the camp today as well. While the threat from the enemy Assassin is gone, the other Servants still pose a deadly threat to you." Jeanne worried that Suzuki, who couldn't use magecraft, would be ambushed and killed by cunning enemy Servants during battle. Killing a Master is far easier than killing a Servant. If Jeanne had the chance to kill an enemy Master, she wouldn't hesitate due to notions of fairness or mercy.

Suzuki didn't like staying behind. He witnessed the enemy Servants firsthand and could assist Jeanne, Atalanta, and La Hire from the frontlines. He was indeed afraid of death, but staying in the heavily guarded Huns camp would only increase his anxiety. There was a chance that Suzuki, amid intense combat, might mistakenly believe that he needed to use a Command Spell and end up using his second Command Spell.

He had already incurred Jeanne's displeasure for misusing a Command Spell once and would never want to make the same mistake again.

The only person who could make decisions was Attila, and coincidentally, a messenger from Attila had summoned the two of them. Suzuki and Jeanne were regarded as esteemed guests by the soldiers in the Huns camp, and Attila's eyes were still monitoring their movements, including Suzuki's early rising and Jeanne watching the sunrise.

Suzuki didn't pay attention to such matters, but Jeanne saw everything behind Attila's actions and never forgot their dealings with the renowned king. She understood that kings, even if they once held the purest of hearts, had to submit to the control of power once they ascended the throne. The weight of responsibility could force any hero to make idealistic yet necessary choices.

Before meeting with Attila, Atalanta, who had gone out for reconnaissance last night, had already informed Attila of the intelligence she obtained and the exact words of the commander of the Western Roman Coalition, Aetius. In her report, Atalanta did not include any personal emotions. She believed that the king they were following in this Holy Grail War would surely emerge victorious, and there was no need to intervene in the king's decisions.

However, the result surprised Atalanta. Attila suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "I will impale his fox head on a flagpole!"

As soon as Suzuki entered Attila's tent, he heard the king's furious roar. He couldn't believe that the king, who had a hidden gentle side, would curse in the early morning.

Upon seeing Suzuki and Jeanne approaching, Attila, seated on the throne, quickly lowered her raised hand and regained her usual serious demeanor, returning to her original position.

"You've come at the right time. Archer has brought back information about the general layout of the enemy camp. I plan to launch an offensive today." Attila did not ask Archer to repeat the important information she had seen to Suzuki and Jeanne. She only needed to analyze and plan herself. It was up to her to decide how to defeat the opposing Master and Servant.

Suzuki had no way of knowing what had angered Attila, but it seemed to be related to the information Archer had brought back.

"After last night's reconnaissance, we can confirm that there are four Servants in the Western Roman Coalition's camp. The location of the Assassin is unknown. Besides the commander Aetius, there are two other magus under the Ise Master." In reality, Archer had only discovered two magus who were likely Masters, and it was Aetius himself who voluntarily provided her with the necessary follow-up information using illusions. Aetius, as the commander of the coalition, was not difficult to find.

Suzuki remembered that Attila mentioned yesterday that the enemy's Saber had no Master. This meant that there was still one Master missing. Perhaps the Berserker, whose Master was unknown, also arrived similarly. Both of them were famous military leaders from the period of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, so it was not an impossible possibility.

Attila seemed to see through Suzuki's thoughts and spoke, "Knowing Aetius's character, if he didn't summon Assassin, then he must have summoned Caster. He's someone who likes to hide in the shadows and work through underhanded means. He's nothing more than an old fox who is useless in magecraft and playing with authority."

According to Suzuki's perspective, a magus who possesses talent not inferior to secular politicians, in addition to being at the top level in terms of magical ability, the term "genius" falls somewhat short. Suzuki vividly remembers the encounter with the Assassin's surprise attack yesterday, where twisted shadows appeared underground and almost bound the unprepared Attila. Compared to Suzuki's magical equipment, which can only blow away enemies, it is not even in the same league.

"I have made up my mind. Today, I will also join you in the operation," Attila said after a moment of silence, revealing a surprising idea.

Among the many records of variant Holy Grail Wars in the Chaldea organization's data, the Masters who directly participate in battles with Servants are generally ignorant outsiders when it comes to magecraft. Naturally, these individuals are the first to be eliminated. There are a few magus with special magecraft or other mysterious powers who can contribute to some extent, but there are hardly any descriptions of them defeating Servants. On the other hand, there are countless cases of Assassins instantly killing Masters. And now Attila wants to join the battle between Servants? Perhaps she can truly defy the conventions of the Holy Grail War if she can repel Assassin.

"Suzuki Yuki, come with me. Currently, we still don't know the true names of Lancer and Caster. Whether we can gain a greater advantage depends on your performance. Of course, I will protect you," Attila turned her gaze towards Suzuki, assuming that the latter would immediately refuse, so she added a "hollow promise" on purpose.

Suzuki was about to join the battle with Jeanne, so he naturally agreed to Attila's request. From the moment the Holy Grail War began, it was fraught with danger, and the only way to ensure safety was to end it as quickly as possible. Hiding alone was not enough, as evidenced by Assassin infiltrating Attila's tent yesterday.

"I will do my best and believe that King Attila, you will emerge victorious," Suzuki replied. After accurately guessing the true names of several Servants he had encountered, he began to have blind faith in his unreliable memory. The Holy Grail War was not as thrilling as he had learned at Chaldea, and a small mistake would not immediately lead to defeat. There were still many challenges to overcome to achieve victory, but he felt that he didn't need to worry about his safety when the enemy's Assassin couldn't participate.

Attila originally thought she would need to use both persuasion and coercion to convince Suzuki. She had rarely encountered a courageous magus before, perhaps not since a very long time ago. "Suzuki Yuki, if you belonged to this era, after conquering the Western Roman Empire, I would appoint you as a general."

Before Suzuki could react, Attila stood up from the throne and walked towards the exit of the tent.

The morning sun shone into the tent, adding a touch of radiance to her. Her figure matched her appearance, and the passage of time had eroded her features at a much slower pace than the surrounding things. No one would have thought that this fragment from the distant past would only shine in the fifth century of the already divine era of humanity. She understood the civilized nations that the Huns did not comprehend, yet she still wielded the Sword of the Rainbow Light to destroy civilizations wherever it reached. She comprehended the future significance that the Huns could not grasp, but she could not defy the fate that belonged to her.

Having learned about the future of the Huns from Suzuki, she finally had a desire that needed to be fulfilled by the Holy Grail. It was the first and possibly the only time she wanted to surpass her current self. Perhaps this was the reason why the Holy Grail ended up in her hands from the very beginning. The chosen King had obtained the almighty wish-granting machine. Could she change the path of destiny that had already been written? Only through such battles could her full radiance be unleashed.

"We're setting off. Pretty words alone won't suffice," Attila didn't look back. She believed that Suzuki's words just now were not mere empty talk. It had been a long time since she had yearned to personally join the frontline battle like she did today.

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