Fate/Irregular Summons

Chapter 27: Fulfilled Commitment

FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 27: Fulfilled Commitment

Back at Edelfelt Manor, Caren, Rin and Sakura were already inside tending to Bazett in her room. The red-haired woman groaned in her sleep and sweated profusely. The stress she experienced was so excessive that she accidentally reopened the wound on her severed arm, and small amounts of blood trickled onto the bandage. Sakura quickly changed it while imploring, "Please calm down, Miss Bazett!"

Caren did her best to pin her down by the shoulders, and grumbled, "This is just as irritating as dealing with a possessed person."

"You're certain that's not happening to her?" Rin wondered as she wiped Bazett's forehead with a damp cloth.

"I'm positive. Otherwise my body would be in unbelievable pain right now."

"Gh... Hnnggh...!"

Strained moans escaped Bazett's throat, and she clenched her teeth while thrashing about on the bed. Rin grabbed her wrist when she noticed that the Command Spell was glowing unnaturally. Strange red veins coursed from around the sigil, as if it was directly affecting her nervous system. Rin's expression became grim as she murmured, "I get it. She's running dangerously low on mana. She has strong magic circuits, but Second Lancer doesn't seem to be efficient with utilizing her Master's prana."

"Efficient?" Caren asked.

"Yeah. Let's say you have 10 units of mana and you have an identical Servant summoned into different classes – let's say a Caster and a Saber. If a Saber used a particular skill that was focused on magical offense, they would take up five units of mana. But if the Caster version used the exact same skill, they would only use up two units. It all depends on the Servant, their summoned class, and the skill they want to use, so the mana expenditure will differ dramatically."

"So Lancer's using everything Bazett has to fight Cuchulainn, but her skills are not entirely suitable to her class?"

"I think so. She frequently tends to use that Runecraft to compensate for her lack of strength, and it's putting a lot of strain on Bazett's prana reserves. If she was a Caster, she would probably be more efficient as a Servant."

"Is there anything we can do?" Sakura asked.

Rin took out three gemstones and replied, "These are literally the last stones I have, and they're only useful for treating mana-deprived victims. I can't guarantee that this will be enough, but at least it should keep Bazett alive."

She cracked the gemstones and let the excess mana flow all over Bazett's body. The woman gradually calmed down and exhaled a relaxed sigh, but her expression still appeared anxious. With that, Sakura was able to finish changing her bandages. A few minutes later however, she seemed to hear Bazett's whispering voice, and she leaned in to see if she could hear her better. Then, Sakura's cheeks blanched when she finally made out what she was saying:

"He's... coming...!"

****

Three figures rushed through the wooded outskirts of Fuyuki. Leaves and grasses rustled, and branches snapped as the trio hurried back to Edelfelt Manor. Connla desperately panned her eyes everywhere to find any sign of Cuchulainn, who had long since disappeared into the forest and had left no trace of himself for her to follow.

Where are you, Father?

As she led the way for her allies, Shirou seemed to appear strangely pensive. Archer narrowed his eyes and wondered in a low whisper, "What's the matter?"