[FDJ]Chapter 87: Sharing

After passing through the void behind the gate, Suzuki opened his eyes again and found himself back in Saladin's "palace." Seeing the Sultan of the Ayyubid Kingdom, who was seated at the top, Suzuki suddenly understood why his Servant, Eleanor, had emphasized her role as a separate entity when she first set foot in this place and did not give Saladin any face when discussing the past.

Apart from the identities known to later generations such as leaders, kings, and saints, the king in question was also a magus. It was inevitable for practitioners of magecraft to deviate from human moral standards.

Rider Eleanor waved at Suzuki, giving him a direction while he was still in shock. He still needed someone else's orders to operate more smoothly.

Aphaf followed, walking out of the illusory gate and closing the non-existent door with a wave of her hand. In front of everyone, she resumed her timid demeanor and took small steps to kneel at an empty seat.

"Isn't Don Quixote here?" Suzuki naturally thought of the elderly knight who had contributed the most last night, but when he looked around, he didn't see anyone else.

"He went to deal with some troublesome matters," Eleanor didn't explain immediately, using vague terms, clearly wanting the other two to explain it themselves. "After you fell asleep last night, we roughly discussed the information we have obtained so far. We originally planned to discuss it again after you had a good rest. But then Assassin launched an attack in the second half of the night."

Eleanor paused intentionally when she said this and turned to look at Saladin.

The latter naturally picked up the conversation, "According to the reconfirmation this morning, besides two of our magus being killed, a total of fifteen patrol soldiers were killed. In addition, the scouts outside the valley reported that there were also strange deaths in scattered villages in the outskirts of Tabaray, with the estimated death toll being no less than fifty."

It was all the work of Assassin. The existence of that incarnation of an evil spirit as a "Servant" in the Holy Grail War had already become a mistake.

Suzuki was initially stunned for a while, but it was Aphaf who lowered her head and silently recited scriptures to mourn the victims.

Saladin continued, "Suzuki Yuki? I apologize, but your name is not very easy to pronounce in our language." He gestured toward Aphaf with an open hand. "The magus forces under my command are under her jurisdiction, and she is currently the most skilled magus in the army. When it comes to magecraft-related matters, it's better to let her explain to you. Besides divination, I have very limited knowledge."

If it were yesterday, Suzuki would not have believed that a timid 15-year-old girl could be a competent magus in the male-dominated society of the 12th century. However, just now, when he saw the joy in the girl's eyes as she spoke of killing other magus and reaping their magical achievements, he became convinced that she possessed the coldness and inhumanity worthy of the title of a magus. Undoubtedly, she met all the criteria of a magus; her timidity was just a superficial layer, like the thick robe and veil she wore, and hiding beneath them was a pair of rare Mystic Eyes.

"After the army entered the valley, we also observed some unknown monsters. Some of them acted alone, while others moved in groups, lurking in inhabited areas and preying on humans and livestock. Initially, we thought these monsters were summoned by the Crusaders. However, according to multiple sources, the Crusaders themselves have limited knowledge about these creatures, and their appearances predate Richard's arrival in Jerusalem. Recently, my servant and I successfully captured a living specimen. Based on the autopsy results, these monsters do not belong to the visible world."

Aphaf finished speaking and used magecraft to replace the fruits on the soft blanket with a crystal box containing purple liquid and unidentified flesh.

As soon as the crystal box appeared, Suzuki, instinctively gazing at it, immediately felt dizzy and uncomfortable. He covered his mouth and nose, quickly averting his gaze. "What is this...?"

"Saladin has conducted divination and obtained an official name for it," Aphaf said. After summoning the crystal box, she activated her Mystic Eyes, using magic to counteract the lingering chaotic aura emanating from the flesh.

Saladin, seated at the top, also avoided looking directly at the summoned box, but upon seeing its appearance, he immediately turned his head away. "Aphaf, the living specimen you captured is of an extremely high level. This unidentified creature is called 'Shoggoth'."

"In the morning, the scouts outside the valley once again discovered hostile unidentified creatures. To ensure safety, I dispatched my servant to exterminate them," Aphaf explained. Seeing that Eleanor and Suzuki had no intention of studying the unidentified creature's remains, she replaced the crystal box with fruits on the soft blanket once again. "They possess inherent suppression against humans. Just like you, without any protective measures, even looking directly at their remains would cause discomfort. Even the bravest soldiers cannot withstand the immense mental pressure and engage in combat against their higher-level individuals."

"Do creatures from other worlds appear in the Holy Grail War?" Eleanor, although unfamiliar with the term "Shoggoth," immediately sensed that the remains in the box did not belong to this world, at least not the visible world. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that they inherently possessed a hostile nature towards the beings of this world, disrupting its order.

"It's unlikely. The Chaldea organization has not observed any monsters being brought forth by factors other than the Servants in the Holy Grail War," Suzuki said. Already affected by the previous encounter with the remains, he had developed a shadow in his mind. Just seeing the remains made him nauseous and dizzy. If a living specimen appeared before him, he might faint on the spot.

"So, it's impossible for the Crusaders to have summoned these monsters? They must be hiding information to mislead you," Eleanor believed that her son would not engage in something that completely contradicted his faith and honor. However, she was worried that Richard's Servant or other magus of this era might cause harm to others or themselves.

"Queen Eleanor, although we are in an adversarial relationship with the Crusaders in Jerusalem, I believe that these unidentified creatures, which are inherently opposed to both major religions, are not summoned by them. At least without external factors, those with wavering faith among them would not actively summon these monsters." 

Saladin seemed to have some clues but still needed more information to deduce which individuals with wavering faith had been tempted and who was behind it all. "There is still much information we need to know. Our original plan was to maintain a defensive posture and wait for the Crusaders to make a move. They have indeed sent their Servants to eliminate the monsters near the city of Tabari. Additionally, they have familiars deployed, so I don't think we need to worry about the monsters infiltrating densely populated cities."

Before Suzuki could speak, Rider Eleanor, taking the initiative, responded to Saladin, "So, the important information you need us to know is... How can we help?"

Aphaf, seeing an opportunity, followed Eleanor's inquiry, "My Servant's Noble Phantasm is not suitable for dealing with monsters. You already know the true name of my Servant. He is a character from a certain anti-Knight book in the future, belonging to a special class called Alterego. He possesses strong suppression abilities against Knight-class enemies but is ineffective against monsters."

"You shouldn't have said that so quickly," Saladin interjected, timely interrupting Aphaf. He knew that Eleanor was a seasoned negotiator and decided to reveal a bit of his bottom line.

Aphaf, hearing the warning, quickly responded and realized that she had been influenced by Eleanor's special ability. Her reverence faded, and she almost said more than she should have.

"Oh well, Saladin, the young magus you've nurtured has impeccable strength and talent, but unfortunately, she still needs more experience. Being a magus is just like playing with political power. Being soft-hearted is more likely to lead to a miserable death than being insufficient in power. Our kind is our natural enemy," Eleanor said to Aphaf with a mischievous smile, her true nature shining through. It brought her joy, and anyone faced with that joy would be rewarded and valued.

"Your interests remain unchanged, Queen Eleanor," Saladin remarked, not wanting to argue with Eleanor over trivial matters. Both of them knew that the other was not someone to be trifled with. They maintained a surface politeness but had prepared countermeasures against each other. Otherwise, the alliance would never have been formed.

"Mutual understanding," they both said.

The hand that had grasped Suzuki's sleeve earlier retracted. Eleanor signaled to Suzuki that it was now his turn to negotiate with Saladin. She believed her hint was easy to understand.

"Do we need to support Alterego?" Suzuki shifted his attention to the sunlight outside. It was noon, and he didn't know how long the Servant had been out. He wondered if it would be a risky move to act alone and potentially walk into an ambush. He hadn't given much thought to the aspect of being a magus and even categorized the monsters simply as monsters, unrelated to the Holy Grail War, drawing no particular attention from Suzuki.

"Master..." Eleanor glanced at her own Master with a hint of complaint, then shrugged her shoulders. "My Noble Phantasm has an area-of-effect nature, specifically targeting armies. If we need to deal with groups of monsters, I can be of assistance. And my abilities can also help stabilize the army and alleviate their panic to some extent."

"That would be great," Saladin expressed a satisfied smile, rare enough to cause wrinkles on his face. "Aphaf, it has been quite some time. How is Alterego doing?"

"There are quite a few monsters called Ghouls. They were feasting on corpses in a village where Assassin massacred last night. Vivar has cleared them out, but he is concerned that there might be more advanced monsters lurking and continues to patrol the area," Aphaf replied after waiting a few seconds, providing an answer to the others.

Only now did Suzuki start to organize the newly acquired information, which concerned the Servants. His thoughts shifted from contemplating the snake familiar's master to the subsequent plans.

"The enemy has multiple Servants, while we only have two. It's still not suitable for us to attack recklessly. By the way, is there anything certain? Can Servants of the Saber class be summoned? If we could have an additional Saber-class Servant for assistance, our tactical arrangements would be more flexible."

Eleanor had already asked Saladin the same question earlier, and her expression appeared somewhat complicated.

Saladin replied to Suzuki with a serious tone, "Through my divination last night, it was confirmed that Saber was the first class to be summoned."