"I feel like my body has fully recovered," Robert said, looking at himself in surprise.
"It might be because this is the resting place for Magus, disguised as the school infirmary," Saber replied. With her tall, imposing figure, she sat politely on the chair.
The sensation of mana depletion was truly indescribable. He didn't want to experience it again.
"What time is it?"
"2 PM."
"It's still early. We still have plenty of time," Robert said as he stood up, checking his bullets and other equipment.
"When we sneaked in earlier, did anyone see us?"
"Yes, but I think they'll keep quiet."
"Really? They saw you wearing that thick iron-like armor and being so tall and large, yet they didn't blab about it? That's pretty surprising—"
"Master," Saber narrowed her eyes at him.
Those eyes weren't threatening, but the emotion behind them was intense, as if every word could hurt her deeply.
Well, she had tough skin, but her spirit… Uhhh… Actually, her spirit wasn't weak either. It was just that there was a small hole in it?
"…I misspoke. I'm sorry."
After that, he looked out the window of the room and saw that the students had already gone to the cafeteria for lunch.
"Maybe it's not a good time. We should wait until they go back to class—"
"No need, Master. I've already located the singularity, and it's not in a crowded area."
"Huh? You've already found it?"
"Yes. It's in a secluded corner of the library. The scent is quite distinct. We should thank these warriors," she said, patting the heads of the two pitch-black dogs that were sticking out their tongues with innocent eyes.
Wow, good doggy.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
"The problem is…" She scratched her head, looking hesitant.
"…What is it?"
Saber then leaned in close and whispered to him.
His face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down continuously.
"What…? The librarian is dead and deformed just like the person this morning?"
"Yes, but that person is still standing normally, and the students are still greeting them as usual."
What the hell is going on? Don't they notice?
"Right now, it hasn't shown any hostility even after seeing my dogs, which means there are two possibilities."
"Go on."
"One is that it doesn't want to fight yet, or… it doesn't consider us worth its attention."
What is this? The Beast today is Gil?
"So I have a plan!" Saber said confidently.
Oh? Looks like she already has a strategy for this?
"We'll charge into the cafeteria, eat first, then storm their fridge and steal everything!"
"Good, good— Wait, WHAT?!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm hungry… After all, we haven't had lunch yet."
The two of them stood there staring at each other — Robert with a deadpan, exhausted expression and Saber looking embarrassed.
"…We'll go to the cafeteria first. We can't fight on an empty stomach, right?"
"An excellent answer, Master!"
And so Saber returned to her Spiritual form to follow Robert.
The problem was… Robert currently looked like a scruffy, unemployed middle-aged man.
Damn it, he had to thank that bastard Donan for covering his clothes in dust and dirt. If he walked into the cafeteria like this, people would stare at him like he was some kind of homeless.
Not to mention, he looked extremely suspicious right now. What if they thought he was the guy who planted the bomb at the school that everyone had been gossiping about? Damn that Donan bastard.
"Kuh… What now? If Saber doesn't eat, how is she supposed to fight?"
"Hey."
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Huh?"
The moment he turned his head, he saw a handsome blond young man with a friendly smile on his lips.
The knife pressed against his neck, however, was not friendly at all!
"Master!" Saber materialized in her true form, ready to slash at the blond guy's head.
"Do you want your Master to die?" the young man said, as the knife held by someone else pressed even closer to Robert's neck.
"Guh!" Saber stopped, glaring at the young man in front of her.
"Y-You're a student at this school… And that mark on your hand…"
"Yes, I'm a Master. Nice to meet you, Mr. Policeman," the boy smiled and raised his hand, revealing his Command Seals.
Is this guy crazy? He dared to reveal his identity to Robert.
"Would you mind if we… talked for a bit?" he said.
"If you get that knife away from my neck first," Robert replied bluntly.
"That won't do. I've already threatened you. If I let you go now, wouldn't that be the same as selling my life to Saber? Unless you order Saber not to attack me with a Command Seal~"
This guy… He's got quite a silver tongue.
"Are you insane? I just wasted one Command Seal. You want me to waste another?"
"Too bad. I was hoping for cooperation, but you don't seem pleased. Then I'll just kill you~"
"YOU!" Saber prepared to lunge forward at full speed.
Of course, her speed couldn't match that of a Servant who already had a knife at Robert's throat, so the action was pointless.
"Well? Are you going to order her properly so we can talk like civilized people?"
He looked at Robert, who was breathing heavily.
"F-Fine. I'll give the order."
The young man smiled. Robert began using his Command Seal.
"Saber… at my command… BURN EVERYTHING AROUND US! THAT IS MY COMMAND!"
"!!!" The blond guy, his Servant, and Saber all looked shocked.
The opposing Servant immediately tried to stab with the knife to finish it, but the surrounding temperature suddenly became extremely hot.
The knife in the Servant's hand began to melt from the heat.
Saber hesitated for a moment but eventually obeyed. She unleashed flames that spread outward.
Seeing this, the enemy Servant carefully avoided touching their Master's skin and pulled the boy's clothes out of the flames' range.
Immediately, the windows around them cracked and began to melt.
"Oi oi oi, you called me crazy, but I think you're even crazier," the young man said, sweating as he looked at his burned hand.
On Robert's side, although he had fire resistance thanks to having Saber as his Servant, it didn't mean he could withstand that massive heat.
Right now, his cheeks and limbs were burned, and his clothes were smoking from being scorched.
"MASTER!" Saber rushed over to check on Robert. Seeing that he could still move normally, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kid, next time you talk to adults, show some respect," Robert said, glaring at him threateningly.
"…Alright, you win. I believe you'll do even crazier things than this, right? No one has ever dared to self-immolate using a Servant enhanced by a Command Seal before."
"Introduce yourself, kid. That's enough."
The young man smiled, though still sweating a bit, and calmly said:
"Mavus Tinii, 16 years old, Master of Assassin. Satisfied?"
He was the playboy of the school and the one who had summoned Hassan of Serenity — a Servant whose body was pure poison.
The reason he had ordered Hassan to use a knife instead of her ability was because he genuinely needed a collaborator.
Forcing the other Master to waste a Command Seal served both to reduce the enemy's remaining seals and to ensure his own safety.
Well, the plan was pretty good (i guess) Too bad he ran into an ally of justice. So, condolences to him.