CHAPTER VII THE SANGLOTS OF THE MARTYRS
"Do you only realize what you have done!" Saber grunted, mad.
Maelysviel, who was wandering in the halls of the hotel, did not pay attention to the disembodied voice of her Servant.
She arrived in front of discreet swinging doors that merged with the finely adorned walls of the establishment. Without bothering to knock them, she dropped in, let them bounce behind her and put her hands in funnel:
- MISTER THE COOOOOOOK!
The long room swarmed with a warm overactivity that cut through the quiet and almost austere atmosphere of the rest of the hotel.
The hubbub quickly dried up to the sound of the childish voice of the girl who had risen through their sanctuary. One after the other, the cooks raised their heads towards the girl, displaying respectively surprised or amused glances of the situation.
When one of them shouted that he had burned his dish while being distracted, several swearing arose for similar reasons and everyone went back to work while a man wearing a strange long blond mustache approached the girl while wiping his hands on a towel.
"Miss..." began politely the man, bowing his head. The stoves are not available to customers, but maybe I can help you in some way.
Maelysviel blinked several times before raising a finger at the man's face.
- Mister, your mustache is twisted.
The man's eyes widened as his colleagues were choked with laughters behind him.
"This priest was NOT a supervisor! I should have slit him when I had the chance... "Saber hissed, mad with rage in the girl's ears.
The man cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure after glaring at his men who had gone back to work pretending to ignore him.
- Indeed miss, but I imagine that my facial hair is not the subject of your coming.
- Oh yes, that's true, the girl replied, hitting the palm of her hand to mark the obvious. I am here to eat.
A silence answered her first.
"Fuck, Maelysviel! You ruined a Command Seal by letting yourself be rocked by the nonsense of this impostor!"
While the man was thinking about how he was able to respond negatively while remaining polite, some cooks behind him had suddenly changed activity under the curious gaze of the young Einzbern.
At the moment the man opened his mouth to give his answer, he was shoved by three of his colleagues who gave a big smile to the girl by handing her a wicker basket filled to the brim of foods.
- Gift of the house, one of them sang, pushing her towards the exit while the chief cook began to rebel against the initiative taken by his employees without his consent. Maelysviel finally went out with the pilferer cook who turned around to block the doorways. He told the girl to hurry up with a wave of his head.
The girl heard the screams of the chef and did not complain twice. She ran to the stairs with her arms cluttered by the heavy basket and took a last look back before climbing to her room.
The cook who was struggling more and more to keep the door closed gave him a big smile with a wink that made Maelysviel laugh.
"A seal of command ... A FUCKING SEAL OF COMMAND!"
She arrived breathless in her room and dropped her basket next to the entrance.
- You saw how funny they were! she exclaimed, still hilarious.
She was violently pressed against the door by a powerful hand. Pale eyes filled with rage stared at her.
Saber, this time physically present, vibrated with a fury that he no longer took the trouble to contain. His hand pressed to the sternum of the girl, his face a few inches from that of his vis-a-vis, he was crushing her by his presence.
Maelysviel's breath was completely cut off by the force that the man put in his grip.
- You’ll have to stop the childishness. He began in a tone that left no room for replies. Little unconscious, open your eyes: it’s a war, A WAR! I have nothing to do of a Master unable to differentiate her enemies from her allies! You humiliated me, scoffed at me, ridiculed me! Why ?! FOR AN USURPATOR WHO BELIEVES BEING ALLOWED TO MAKE HIS LAW! But no... It's not his domain... it's our domain... It's MY DOMAIN. Our victory leaves no room for pity...
The girl trembled, her face lowered. Her hair covering her face.
- Do you realize the value of the seal you spoiled? A SEAL OF COMMAND IS AN ASSET OF A POWER WITHOUT COMMON MEASURE! I REFUSE THAT A KID USES THEM TO SERVE HER CAPRICES! NO MORE, YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL NEVER ACCEPT SUCH AFFRONT ANYMORE!
A stifled sob broke his tirade. When he felt his hand wetting, he realized he had gone too far.
His anger evaporated. He slightly loosened his grasp and put his second hand to free the hair that was blocking her face.
His heart sank as he saw the terrified gaze of the girl in tears staring at the floorboards. Her face was bathed in tears that dripped to the hand of the Servant.
With gentleness he released her and hugged her, slowly stroking her head. The sobbing girl, didn’t react, totally paralyzed.
- Idiot, he whispered softly to her ear, cuddling her.
She let go and cried over her servant. She grabbed him and buried her face against his chest.
- I'm sorry, sorry... the girl exclaimed between sobs.
- Shhhhhh, Maelys, calm down, breathe, listen, he said as gently as possible.
The girl, still agitated with fits, remained firmly attached to the man. She forced herself to dry her hiccups to be more attentive to her Servant. Covered with shame, she preferred to keep her face hidden against him.
- You can’t trust the first person to come, little Maelys. Trust is something precious that you must give with care and parsimony. It is a true gift of self, which can be a source of great strength as a frightful vulnerability. Do not put yourself in unnecessary danger Maelys. You deserve better than to live the terrible suffering of betrayal. It will touch you to the heart, body and soul and can be fatal.
The girl timidly raised her eyes blushed at the man's face.
- Are you really mad at me?
The man smiled tenderly and kissed her forehead.
- I blame you because I care about you, Emi Ephemeria.
The girl in a surge of affection tightened against the man.
- Say Saber, how do I know who I can trust...
- When we are born, nothing tells us who to trust. Then nature guides us to our designer, and those we love. But experience teaches us to be wary once our first disappointments have passed.
- So how?
- Live. And learn from those who have lived. I have nothing to hide you, everything to give you. For this war, I place my life, body and soul in your hands. I trust you Maelysviel. But I need you to trust me.
The servant released the girl and took her hands, which he joined while kneeling on the ground. He bowed and asked her:
- My Master, I beg you to accept my request and offer me the precious present that is your trust, at least the during of the war, of our war.
Maelysviel frowned.
- Since I must be suspicious, how can I trust you?
- You learn quickly little Maelys. Then I will speak to you openly. I believe in you. Your purity and light, yet born of blood, deserves a life fully lived. I want to believe in your future as much as I would like to revise mine. My words may be in vain, for I have just taught you doubt, but I have faith in your judgment and your fulfillment.
Maelysviel sniffed and stared at the man, seeming to weigh the pros and cons for long seconds, finally jumped into his arms, smiling.
- Ok, I'll give it to you! And not only for the war. I want to believe in you forever! Because I like you a lot, and thanks to you, I learn many, many, many things!
She laughed and the Servant finally relaxed completely.
---
- Rest in peace, dear Master.
The Raven's body slid out of the Servant's arms, completely disjointed and crushed in places. The dark, bloody mass touched the floor in a disgusting sound. The mask of the deceased, still hiding his face, left him a little dignity in death, hiding his features in the eyes of the world.
Berserker cried silent tears... which turned blood red.
Threads of blood dripped from his closed eyes.
- So it was really him, whispered the stunned priest.
Berserker, who had just recovered his cross, slammed his head violently against it. At each blow, he uttered an inhuman complaint. The impact resonated violently but no one could tell if it came from his aching skull or the wood of the cross that sank at each stroke.
The cross glowed, under the greedy gaze of Tohsaka.
Berserker continued tirelessly to shatter his head against the cross of torture, which burned with destructive fire.
Berserker chanted while roaring more or less audible sentences.
- YOUR MERCY WILL NEVER BE MINE,
THE TRAITOR NEVER WILL RISE,
FORGEDBY THE FLAMES,
OF CHAOS OF DESTINY,
I WILL CARRY THE BURDEN OF SHAME,
FOR ALL THE SINNERS OF THIS WORLD ...
Bellowing these words, his hands and his head glowed in contact with the flames. His burning skull split the wood that cracked as much under his blows as the burning. His veins swelled and began to burst.
- YOUR CROSS IS OF WOOD,
MY TEARS ARE OF REGRETS,
NOR WAR, NOR VENGEANCE,
SIMPLY BE AT YOUR SIDE,
IS THE UNREACHABLE WISH ...
The flames little by little gnawed the whole of his body. His roars became louder and louder.
YOUR FLAME PURIFIES,
YOUR SACRIFICE SAVES...
The cross, highly weakened by the fire, finally broke in his hands. His skull finished it and it burnt like the vulgar log it had become, at the feet of the Berserker. The man, a living furnace, fell on his knees in front of the pile of smoking ashes that had become his cross.
- AND I ACCEPT YOUR JUDGMENT.
He disappeared suddenly, as if annihilated, while a sound of multiple coins falling could be heard.
Tohsaka looked at his work with wide eyes, displaying an immense, nervous smile that turned into a painful grimace as his arm twisted into an unsightly harmony of crunches.
The young man screamed and tried in vain to stem the twist of his arm.
His member ends up breaking in a final dry crack.
Hideaki collapsed so much the pain was unbearable. He screamed, cried to death and literally suffered martyrdom.
The bishop jumped to the side of Tohsaka who was contorting in all directions, losing ground with reality.
The man knelt at his side and his gloved hands began to glow softly.
As he advanced his arms towards the young Tohsaka, an arrow pierced the thigh of the man of the Church who saw himself thrown back a few steps.
The bishop gasped, but reacted quickly and tried to get back to Hideaki, who was moving too close to the edge of the roof. He did not manage to get up and had just enough time to see the young man fall into the void.
The bishop then dropped on the ground. He turned on his back and with a dry, almost angry gesture removed the projectile that had stuck in his leg before letting his head fall back, tired of that day as a supervisor. He wondered very seriously if it was possible for the situation to get even worse...
A cry from a distant woman came to answer his dumb questioning.
---
The midday bells rang happily at the end of Mass. Maelysviel Von Einzbern, sitting on the steps near those of the church, observing with great curiosity the worshippers coming out from their place of worship.
Her wicker basket placed next to her, she tasted with a real well-being feeling the food that had been offered to her a few hours before.
Her umbrella resting on the shoulder protected her from the bad weather.
She hummed tunes, taking inspiration from the various pieces of organ she had heard over the course of the morning, while following the rhythm of the drops of water drumming through the canvas that sheltered it.
- It’s so goooooood! she chuckled with pleasure, her cheeks reddened by the cold.
Once the flow of believers had sharply reduced, Maelysviel turned to glance inside the church whose doors were still wide open.
"I've almost finished, Saber, you can come back, we'll be able to pick up where we left..." the girl purred to the attention of her Servant.
The latter did not answer immediately, and Maelysviel got up with enthusiasm.
She took a turn on herself and caught an unexpected gust of wind that failed to make her fall and dragged her umbrella. She moaned and closed her eyes instinctively.
Once the flurry passed, Maelysviel watched her umbrella fly over the roofs and sighed:
- Ah damn... it was so pretty...
In a few seconds, the girl found herself soaked from head to toe.
"Come on, we've waited long enough... what are you doing so wet, little Maelys?" Finally answered her servant.
The girl, frowning, looked away at her umbrella disappearing as a soldier attends the death of a fallen comrade...
The Servant laughed out loud.
The doors of the church had been closed in the meantime.
Maelysviel grabbed her empty basket and ran towards the entrance. She struggled hard with the heavy wooden door that creaked through the whole church.
Brother Ignas had always loved being close to the people. Each being had something unique in his eyes and deserved to be brooded by God's gaze.
So, when he saw this wet and visibly sickly young woman enter the church, he came without hesitation to meet her, to welcome her as the Lord would have done for each of his children.
The man, compared to the frail girl, was of strong stature. Aware of his intimidating nature, he spoke to her in a low, soothing voice:
- Here you are in the house of the Lord, my daughter... I don’t seem to have ever seen you in our parish, may I ask y-
The man's sentence was strangled when the white-haired young woman pulled on his cowl to vigorously wipe her face on it. The unbalanced man found himself in a ridiculous position, leaning forward, staring, bewildered, at the white head that was rubbing her face without the slightest discomfort on his garment.
The girl finally raised a painted with contentment and relief face, a few inches from the face of the man.
- Aaaaaah! It's much better! She said in a voice far too strong that resonated loudly in the church.
When their eyes met at last, the man drowned in the scarlet eyes of the girl and lost in an instant all that remained of his capacity.
A spark of scorn crossed Maelysviel von Einzbern's gaze.
She grabbed the collar of the man who was now within range and yanked it. He fell to his knees in front of the girl, reversing the balance of forces.
There was nothing childish about the attitude of the young Einzbern. Seeming suddenly aware of her gaze’s effect on the paralyzed man, she brought her face closer to that of the man to finally blow him:
- You know who I am… don’t you?
The sweetness of the girl's voice and her smile contrasted with the condescension of her attitude.
The Dominican brother did not answer. The frail girl's smile widens again.
- I am Maelysviel Von Einzbern, little priest... she said bringing her face closer to the man, forcing him to back away under the incongruous threat represented by this child. Coming from Germany to recover what was stolen from the Patriarch in person, and which in fact is his right! she continued more aggressively, gradually increasing the volume of her voice. And if you don’t tell me in 5 seconds where I can find the supervisor, I swear to burn you, your worshippers and your fucking church!
A heavy silence followed the speech of the young woman with a demented and furious look.
Some worshippers, still present near the dedicated to the holy Virgin chapel had turned their backs, completely stupefied.
The bushy eyebrows of the man frowned as he regained confidence. He relaxed and answered with a gleam of defiance in his eyes:
- What do I have to fear from the poor creature that you are, he sneered... You can go back and congratulate your "Patriarch", he had a fine nose... But it's a little late to react! The three big families are definitely not what they used to be...
He grabbed the wrist of the girl who did not blink and stood up, playing of his stature to dominate her full height.
Maelysviel did not seem to be bothered by the evolution of the situation. The man pulled the young woman's arm upward, so that she had to stand on tiptoe to stay in contact with the ground.
Her still frowning little foreheads did not suggest the slightest fear.
Brother Ignas tilted his head aside and looked at her from head to toe like a piece of meat. He smiled sadly:
- Poor little thing sent to the slaughterhouse, how long have you been given this illusory sketch of life? Two years ? A year ? Less? How sad to see the privilege of life so blasphemed by the unholy filth of magic.
- Well, that means you know? Is that it?
- You hurt me so much... Not even with the slightest instinct for survival. These Einzbern monsters have damn well botched you. Lord Connor definitely has nothing to fear from you for this war...
-Aaaaah! smiled the girl. So you know him! That's it Saber we finally found the one! she laughed with a sincere joy that had nothing to do with the fierce attitude she exhibited previously.
At these words, a male sneer echoed throughout the church.
Brother Ignas realized the full meaning of the young woman's words and swore. Behind him, noises of fighting arose. Without releasing his grip on Maelysviel, he turned around and saw the ten worshippers fight to blood, the devil in the body.
He digested all the information he had just understood and turned to the girl, completely frightened and raised an arm in her direction. His gesture was blocked and pressure on his outstretched arm forced him to free the girl from his grip. He found himself ironically in the same position as the girl a few seconds before. An arm held up by luminescent wires, he barely touched the ground.
- A Master... the Einzberns have a Master, no, no it's impossible! he whimpered as he tried to escape the magical grip of the girl, who was now circling around him, playing on an invisible hopscotch.
- In your place, I would say right now how to find this Mr. Connor... Before the situation degenerates further, hihihi ...
She let him swing along her threads and scampered to one of the aisles of the church.
She hesitated between two rows of seats to sit down and witness the spectacle of the violently fighting worshippers .
When Brother Ignas was able to see one of them lose their life, his arm trapped by the Einzbern magic began to glow, and his bonds broke. He fell to the ground and ran towards the young woman, painfully holding the arm he had just used to free himself. He forced himself to straighten it again and it started to glow again.
- It can’t be... The three families were kept away with precaution! You can not be Master!
- If Maelysviel von Einzbern is not my Master, stupid ecclesiastic, then I am the Messiah! laughed a voice above his head as a powerful light dazzled him.
Brother Ignas stopped his run to protect his eyes. He raised his head to see an angelic form hovering several meters above the worshippers who were unloaded.
- Mercy, the Dominican voice shook, a Servant...
Suddenly, out of breath, the man of the church fell on his knees and put a clenched hand on his arm, which had ceased to shine, his face tensed with pain.
- Well, well? Saber continued. What are you waiting for to call me Lord? Is not this how you name the messiah? Yet I have everything from the heavenly appearance and the miracle of your God! Admire my presence, and this sublime staging! It is still time to convert to my cult, miserable!
He laughed at his own tirade and amused himself by spinning a stone between his fingers, while Maelysviel applauded his Servant as one congratulated an actor for his performance.
Playing the game, Saber went down to the side of his Master and greeted his audience under the laughter of the young woman.
Against all odds, the ecclesiastic did not rebel. Saber noted that he seemed exhausted.
Prostrated, the man begged:
- Please, stop this massacre... These innocents have nothing to do with this war.
A silence followed the request of the man. Only the sickening noise of the fighting worshippers echoed in their ears.
The man then saw the bottom of the dress of the young Einzbern appear in his field of vision, then the sweet voice of the girl rang in his ears.
- It's not complicated... just tell me where Mr. Connor is.
The man answered.
Maelysviel smiled and left the church, happy to have obtained what she wanted.
Saber, still in the building, cast a sufficient glance at the man who watched helplessly his worshippers kill each other. He raised his head towards the Servant.
- I met your expectations! Leave these innocents in peace!
At these words Saber stopped playing with the stone he was holding. The worshippers immediately returned to their senses. They panicked and whined, realizing what they had done.
Saber approached the man on the ground and held out his hand.
At first mistrustful, Brother Ignas finally seized it and was able to get up again. In his movement to recover, he felt a sharp pain in the abdomen.
His gaze went down to the origin of the pain.
A blade made of an unknown metal pierced through his body. Saber held him for a moment and whispered in his ear:
- I have fulfilled your wish, but I don’t forgive those who insult my Master. It is time for you to assume your responsibilities to your believers and the consequences of your actions towards them. Have a good trip to the Kingdom of Hades... Lust And Hunger Under The Dragon Tooth, δράκος τοῦ Κάδμου.
Frightened, the few worshippers still alive witnessed a terrifying cabalistic scene.
Brother Ignas, still conscious, could feel his skin and his muscles evaporate.
His back bent violently and his skull fell from his body.
Saber removed his blade from the body of which only a skeleton was left strangely on its feet. When he slammed the door behind him, Brother Ignas' skeleton set in motion.
One of its bony arms took a sheared form similar to a blade.
It rushed on the worshippers that it killed one after the other. The remains collapsed when it snatched the breath of the last living being present in the church. A morbid calm came to close the incident.
Saber thus left the church and found Maelysviel, sheltering under the arcade of an opposite alley to protect herself from the rain.
When she saw her Servant she made big gestures to get his attention.
- So? So? she said with excitement. Was I good? And you saw, this time I frowned well as you told me! And when you arrived, it was so beautiful! You know they are pretty your wings? In any case I love them! And it was funny too when you told him that you were the messiah! But why did he stop resisting so quickly? Did you see? I thought we would play longer... But we finally found someone who knows where is the supervisor! How was his name already? Mmmmmh .. Cormo... no Corno...
- Conor.
- Ah yes that's it ... Now we will be able to go kick his buttocks! And besides we-
Saber had just taken the girl in his arms laughing.
- Calm down a little you want! he advised, crying from laughter.
- Buuuuuuuut stop making fun of meeeeeeee! Stoooooooop! sulked the girl.
- Forgive me, little Maelys. He answered, wiping his eyes.
He looked at the sky for a moment and went on.
- You'd better find a new umbrella before we start hunting again.
- Oh yes you're right... Ah, but I forgot my basket in the church! Wait, I’m coming back!
- NO!
Saber had just hastily grabbed Maelysviel's wrist as she headed towards the church.
Surprised, the girl turned to her Servant whose face had darkened.
- Sa-Saber? she tried uncertain.
The man released the girl's wrist and took her hand. He smiled at her and said:
- Don’t worry, I'm sure you'll be given another one at the hotel. Come on we'll get a new umbrella, it'll be much more useful.
The girl frowned for a moment and stared at the church with a suspicious look as a drop of sweat dripped down Saber's temple. She finally turned to him with a resplendent smile.
- Okay !
Saber covered the girl with his resplendent fleece to protect her from bad weather and began to walk away from with her.
- Your cape is the coolest.
- I know.
- Say Saber?
- Mmmmh?
- What does “fucking” mean?
---
Hideaki did not feel anything anymore. Or rather, he felt all at once. When he finally thought he was losing consciousness, the pain was coming back. When he felt himself falling, he welcomed the emptiness as a potential liberation to his ordeal. The air hissed in his ears. The cold was burning him. He did not really know if he was still falling or if the colors that waved behind his eyelids were only there to make him crazier than he already was. The sounds, the lights, the sensations... Everything was confused around him.
One time he thought he was in a tidal wave, the other in a tornado, then the next her seemed to suffocate, as buried alive. The pain made him crazy.
He managed, however, to stare at a glow that was repeating. He clung to it. His mind clung desperately so he did not lose his mind. His efforts were not in vain as the sounds began to pick up a coherent thread around him. He managed to analyze jerky and rhythmic noises recalling the galloping of a horse. He finally felt gravity again, his body shaking to the rhythm of the same gallop.
Finally, last effort against the fever he suffered, he managed to open an eye and clearly heard:
- I knew it was a bad idea.
Genghis Khan rushed on his destroyer with a broken bridle. He had just recovered his Master in flight before he succumbed to his fall.
Lying across the animal, his head swaying beside his galloping hooves at prodigious speed, his belly stuck to his constantly moving withers, Hideaki felt his stomach turn around. He gave his lunch to the floor, which was about fifty centimeters from his face.
Genghis Khan held the bridle of his horse with one hand, and the other held the injured arm of his Master.
- Not pretty, the Khan commented, as Tohsaka coughed to get rid of the bile that was blocking his breathing. You'll have to say goodbye to your arm! Unless you really want to end your days... By Tengri... sighed the Servant, and that women killer is only a few streets away ...
Hideaki tried to articulate an answer but could only moan .
- You fought enough, young foal... Judas Iscariote rejoined the steppes, cut the Universal Sovereign. Keep your strength to survive, or this trip could be your ultimate voyage.
Then Hideaki concentrated on remaining conscious, his arm throwing him, and the horse's tourniquet movement galloping under his belly made him want to vomit again.
The Khan kept an eye on his Master. The young man showed great resistance and courage that he could only honor.
They were crossing the streets of London at high speed.
Again and again. These looked all alike, Rider thought.
When the moon disappeared, he realized too late, and his horse skidded, making his two riders fall in the wake. Genghis Khan, accustomed to this kind of equestrian accident, immediately seized the weakened body of the wounded man. Their fall was thus fatal to no one.
In the abnormal silence of the night, interrupted by Hideaki's difficult breathing, Genghis Khan remained motionless on the watch. A leg of his horse rolled at his feet.
"We are now hunted down..." he thought.
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