[FDJ]Chapter 89: Alter Ego

After the return of Alterego Don Quixote, he brought back troubling information: the number of monsters was increasing. Although they were all categories that could be easily dealt with by a group of followers, if their numbers continued to grow, the ordinary people in the area would not be able to survive. The subsequent impact of this situation was unknown.

Suzuki Yuki and Rider Eleanor returned to their temporary residence and immediately exchanged the information they had gathered. Eleanor wasn't surprised to hear that Saladin was detaining the residents in the valley, nor was she surprised that they would be used as sacrifices when deemed necessary.

This information made Eleanor feel somewhat relieved. The Saladin she was familiar with was such a person, or rather, a competent ruler. The fact that Aphaf voluntarily mentioned these things indicated that Saladin had complete trust in her.

"Are you surprised? I would do the same. We don't have the resources to protect every civilian under our rule. If a decision can protect 400 people but sacrifice another 200, then it is a good choice when necessary. For example, when defeated in battle, our soldiers are more important than the wavering beliefs of civilians, right?" Eleanor, being a queen, wouldn't include restrictions such as defeat in battle. An extreme magus would sacrifice their own 400 people without hesitation as long as they could kill the opposing 400 people. In their eyes, measuring human lives with mathematics is already considered a very merciful and rational approach. Eleanor didn't voice these thoughts. Subconsciously, she still regarded her Master as a magus and respected the inhuman side of magi.

"As for the appearance of monsters of unknown origin here, what insights can you provide?" Suzuki Yuki still didn't pay much attention to matters outside the Holy Grail War, but he wouldn't let go of any details that might contain clues.

Eleanor pondered for a moment and gave Suzuki Yuki a somewhat vague answer. "Master, you have a habit of being curious about everything. It's best to change that when dealing with them. It's best not to know too much about them. I am a Servant, and my Noble Phantasm can easily crush them. I don't need to know too much about them."

"Huh?" Suzuki Yuki didn't understand why his Servant said that at first, but when he recalled the boxed monster flesh he had seen and the nauseating discomfort it caused, he understood Eleanor's meaning to some extent.

Those monsters represented disorder and chaos. Ordinary people had no means of protection, and attempting to directly understand creatures that did not belong to the visible world would only lead to delving into disorder and chaos itself.

...

The local time was approaching 5 PM, and the sun outside was beginning to set, signaling the arrival of another night suitable for the Holy Grail War. Suzuki Yuki turned his head to look outside at the sunset, which was about to be obstructed by the valley and inexplicably felt a sense of crisis as if a Servant would tragically exit tonight.

Eleanor noticed her Master's condition and reached out to touch Suzuki Yuki's forehead, halting his unconscious attempt to use magecraft.

The sudden dizziness vanished without a trace, and Suzuki Yuki regained his senses, feeling a wave of fatigue rushing through his limbs. "What was that just now...?"

"You unconsciously tried to use a 'premonition' type of magecraft. The fact that you were able to explain the first half of the magecraft indicates that you have learned this relatively advanced magecraft before, and at least your body remembers the steps of magecraft usage. However, your mana doesn't flow according to your intentions. Please refrain from using it again, as it could harm you." Eleanor was even more curious about Suzuki Yuki's past. His body remembered the steps of magecraft usage and automatically used it towards the sunset. He possessed 32 well-designed magic circuits within him, yet he couldn't control his mana or use any magecraft. It was like an unopened bottle of fine wine, with the aroma inside unconsciously trying to break through the seal. "So, what did you 'see'? The fact that the sunset brings you inspiration doesn't seem like a joyful thing."

"There will be a Servant forced to retreat tonight."

"Interesting. Let's look forward to the first one to exit. Of course, I think..." Eleanor's smile became even more pronounced as she sensed the "fragrance" of conspiracy and intrigue. She was extremely familiar with and accepting of this type of "game." There was nothing in the human world that made her happier. "Let's first witness the conspiracy that descends with the night."

One hour later, a large number of unidentified monsters gathered and headed towards the deserted village. Alterego Don Quixote set off once again to eliminate the hidden threat, and his current Master, Aphaf, voluntarily accompanied her Servant to prevent potential danger.

Having a Master with Mystic Eyes and being skilled in obstruction-type magecraft was a more secure response to various dangers. This arrangement had been used several times before to deal with monster gatherings, including the fact that they missed their normal dinner time last night.

Upon hearing the news, Suzuki Yuki immediately understood that this was the conspiracy Eleanor had mentioned earlier. The consecutive appearances of monster gatherings were meant to lure Aphaf and Alterego there. Eleanor instructed Suzuki Yuki to depart one hour after their allies to avoid falling into the trap. The angler wouldn't easily reel in the fish, and the bait itself was inconsequential. Eleanor wanted to expose the vulnerabilities by making the "angler" take the bait and provide a strong counterattack. Currently, there was a noticeable difference in the number of Servants between the two factions, so they needed to gradually weaken the opponent's strength to gain an opportunity for a balanced battle.

Alterego Don Quixote, who set off in advance, and his Master Aphaf hurried to the area where the monsters had gathered again. Before approaching the area, Aphaf activated her Mystic Eyes and immediately sensed the presence of blood-related magic in the air. It was evident that the monsters had been intentionally lured and gathered, as someone had enticed them with the scent of blood.

"Vivar, there are signs of blood-related magic in the air. The monsters have been lured and intentionally gathered," Aphaf explained.

"That is quite obvious. Can you see any other clues?" responded Don Quixote.

Both riders slowed down their pace, and their horses instinctively resisted moving forward.

"The magic points to three nearby locations, which are the three neighboring villages that were attacked by Assassin last night," Aphaf explained.

"I cleared them during the day, but the monsters are still gathering. It can only mean that someone wants us to go there. Wait a moment, I think I smell the scent of snakes." Don Quixote, the elderly Alterego knight, said as he pulled the reins and dismounted, searching through the grass on the side of the mountain path.

"Slow them down—" Aphaf didn't hesitate and immediately followed suit, stopping her horse. She was more perceptive than her Servant and caught sight of a snake, pointing her finger towards the grass. The creature beneath the grass froze in place.

Don Quixote approached and picked up the immobilized familiars, which belonged to the same species as the ones outside the valley.

"There are snakes here too, Master. Are you ready?" Don Quixote asked.

"For now, let's search for the enemy Servant's ambush." Despite her young age, Aphaf's mind was clear. She had prepared herself for a confrontation with an enemy Servant before setting off. The gathering monsters were not their primary concern.

Having used three different types of magecraft on herself, Alphav was different from the previous night when she only used obstruction magecraft to keep Assassin at bay. She seemed to know various types of magecraft, although obstriction magecraft was her specialty.

Using concealment magecraft to erase her figure, Aphaf's mastery of magecraft surpassed the limits of a normal single-attribute magus. She seemed more like she was "borrowing" the magical achievements of the magus she had defeated before.

Alterego Don Quixote took out the charms stored in his pouch and ignited them. The ashes of the charms naturally drifted forward, forming a fiery red glow. "This is..."

"There is a highly threatening Servant ahead. They are waiting for us to enter the village where the monsters have gathered," Aphaf's voice came from behind him, her figure hidden. She intentionally refrained from using charms herself to investigate, in case Caster was hiding in the village, although the possibility was small. Using magecraft recklessly against a Caster-class Servant was something a normal magus wouldn't dare to do.

"Is there only one?" Alterego Don Quixote was more concerned about the number of enemies. He had his considerations and did not come unprepared to face tonight's challenge.

"Vivar, do you intend to duel with the opponent?"

"No, I am not a knight. I won't engage in such boring things," responded Alterego Don Quixote. Observing the direction where the fiery red ashes dissipated, he took a few steps forward and observed the village below the hill. 

Despite the distance, Aphaf's Servant's vision allowed her to see many things in the darkness, such as the numerous ghouls lurking outside the village, the two strange birds that had already spotted them and were attempting to approach from the sky, and the various twisted monsters in larger numbers within the village.

"Master, the monsters have noticed us."

"Counterattack!"

Alterego Don Quixote drew his sword and looked up at the two descending strange birds. Feathers rained down like arrows, but he remained unfazed as the feathers struck his armor, emitting dull thuds. It wasn't until the two birds slowed down and prepared to climb again that he made his move.

He jumped in place and made a diagonal slash with his sword, cleaving one of the birds into two. The other bird successfully ascended, but it was affected by Aphaf's obstruction magecraft and was forcefully pulled down from the air. Neither of the birds noticed that a human was so close to them.

With an upward thrust of his sword, he pierced the chest of the bird, and its acidic reddish-purple blood splattered. The bird tried to struggle, but the old knight's sword functioned like a meat saw, and with a few pulls, he completely severed its body, cutting off its huge forewings.

A final thrust to the bird's head and the old knight killed the second one.

Whether it was the timing of his actions or the precision of his strikes, the old knight displayed a level of proficiency that could only be attained through countless battles. If it weren't for his true name being revealed, it would be hard to believe that this old knight was the protagonist of the satirical novel "Don Quixote."

Alterego Don Quixote shook off the bird feathers from his body. There were no marks on his armor, including the corrosive blood that spurted out, which failed to corrode his shining armor.

In yesterday's battle with Assassin, he hadn't even revealed his true abilities.