Fate/Loved by Vengeance (Edmond Dantés X Fem!Master)

Masters Basics

"Please open your books to page fifteen. You'll see a few sample sketches of what some current and past command seals, or spells, look like."

Robin did as the Masters Basics professor instructed, and watched as everyone mechanically did the same. The textbook was, thankfully, thin and inexpensive, but the text was small, and all the words swam across the pages. She should really invest in some coffee... it was probably the jet lag.

Bryn had her pink highlighter in hand, already making notes in the margins of her own textbook. Robin planned to do that later so that she could hear everything the professor said without being distracted, but maybe keeping herself occupied with taking notes would help her stay awake. These command seals all came in different shapes, but all had a similar color of crimson. Was that just a coincidence? Did it have anything to play in the fact that blood is used in summoning a servant?

Robin interpreted these designs as henna given to masters by the Grail itself. The Grail bestowed these seals to masters, right?

"Each Master is given three command seals when they summon their Servant. However, there are many people with several more seals. Can anyone tell me how they are acquired?"

Because they slay a Servant and/or Master? Something along those lines?

"They slay the Master, not the Servant. The victim's command seals are then transferred to the culprit. It can be easy to spot the culprit if you can sense their magical aura or recognize their command seal design by heart, but remembering that intricacy is uncommon. Besides, most masters go out of their way to hide their seals from public view. There is also an instance where a Master can cut off the victim's hand, and take the seals that way."

Ew... that's kind of nasty. It didn't help that the professor noted that this method was more common than killing the Master outright. If she were planning to summon, she needed to invest in some gloves. Ciao Cat mittens, maybe?

Bryn was scribbling notes in her notebook while Robin had her phone out to record the lecture. Why not take notes and record the lecture? Maybe next time. It was only day two. That meant the Holy Grail War was soon!

"As you all may know, the Holy Grail War is about to commence. The Grail will be selecting masters that it finds worthy to fight for its power to grant any wish...,"

Everyone was sitting at the edge of their seats. Who didn't want to have a wish granted by the Grail? Robin hoped they were all good wishes, and not something like "kill all the heteros" or something like that. Even if someone just wished for good grades, that would be fine.

"however, I doubt any of you will be chosen, considering you're all still rookies. That, and I don't recognize any Mage family names. Hmm... Fea, maybe? Do we have a Fea here?"

Way to single a student out in front of a lecture hall of power-hungry teenagers! Bryn leaned towards Robin who was sitting next to her and wheezed. Robin grinned in return, and hesitated to eventually raise her hand. It took a while for the professor to finally see her tiny hand in the crowd, but he eventually pointed her out with an "Aha!". Was her brother really that well-known?

"We have a Fea here! I take back part of what I said. If anyone has any chance of getting a set of Command Seals, it's her."

Daggers stared into her from every direction, and she cowered in her seat. Subconsciously, she hid her hands in her giant sweater cuffs and put her head down on her desk. Her friend was there to put a hand on her back as a sign of support, but it only helped so much. She wanted to keep her hands, please!

A chubby white girl with curly brunette hair, pink makeup, big black glasses, a pastel pink cardigan with pins on one breast, and a uniform that made her look way too big... was now the center of attention. This was the complete opposite of what she wanted when she asked to meet new people. Her flushed cheeks made matters worse; she felt like she was about to cry.

"Hey, it's okay, Robin! If anyone tries to bully you, I'll fight them outside Benny's."

Bryn reassured. Robin, with her face still hidden, smiled before turning her head to face her friend with a perplexed expression.

"Do they have Benny's in France?"

Her friend paused for a moment,

"They've gotta have some equivalent."

That was an acceptable answer. Unlike in high school, the teacher actually dismissed the class, not the bell. With a brief farewell and good luck to all the potential masters, the two friends packed up their things and headed for the dorms for the day. Robin clutched her Ciao Cat notebooks to her chest to cover the tear stains that managed to get on her white polo, while Bryn took out her phone to check social media. The Holy Grail War was, of course, trending.

"Do you think you're going to get a set of command seals, B?"

Robin spoke up. Bryn took a while to acknowledge the question, but shrugged it off and turned off her phone before putting it in her skirt pocket.

"I mean, I dunno. No one in my family is a mage."

"But you always get top of the class! In regards to grades, anyway."

Bryn chortled,

"You think my good grades will get me a sick tat from the Grail? That'd be the day."

Admittedly, no one ever called Command Seals "sick tats", so Robin couldn't help but laugh. Bryn smiled to herself in success.

"It'd be weird not to have my friend be a Master, too... maybe I shouldn't talk like I know for sure I'm getting command seals until I know I have them. Then, we won't have to worry about it."

A random student came up to the two friends; stopping them in their tracks. The girl had perfectly straight blonde hair and blue eyes.

"You really don't think you, a Fea, will get a set of Command Seals?"

Her voice was hoarse and threatening, and Robin couldn't help but take a step back. Bryn did the same, but only to stay by her side. Robin was stumbling with words, trying to find something to say-

"Of course you're going to get chosen. Don't act like the victim."

She wasn't trying to play the victim! The back of her throat began to burn, and her lip quivered. Dang nabbit, not again! Bryn looked to the mystery girl, then to Robin, then back. This time, someone actually kept their ground.

"Leave her alone."

Bryn defended. The girl seemed unfazed and walked by them, but not without shoving Robin slightly. She gave a sigh and kept walking.

"I'm sorry about that, Rob. Let's just go to my dorm, okay?"

It would've been a bad idea to leave Robin in her dorm by herself, and Bryn, knowing her as long as she had, knew this. Robin nodded and kept her head down, mumbling an appreciative "thank you".

"Of course, dude! Homies cover homies!"

Typical, but Robin grinned. Would she be able to do homework on her friend's desk? She had to do some reading for her French Literature class, and Bryn probably did too if she didn't do it already. It was just the first chapter of The Count of Monte Cristo, but the language went over her head.

Both of them did their homework in Bryn's crammed dorm, but claustrophobia didn't seem to bother them. Every now and then, they'd blurt out questions they had on their homework, and do their best to answer each other's questions.

... Robin got to thinking. What was she going to do if the Grail didn't select her best friend? She couldn't do this alone! Well, if Bryn didn't get chosen, that'd mean they didn't have to eventually fight... would she have to fight her? She tried to hide a whimper and wiped her glazed eyes with her sweater sleeve. That would have to wait; it was homework time now.

A/N: "Benny's" = Denny's! thank you again!! please stay tuned! <3