Chapter 11: Second Servant
"Thanks for the fun, boy," Arch said with a chuckle. "Let me reward you for that."
[Generating a Task from your desires…]
['Summoning a Servant' Task is now available.]
[Task #2: Summoning a Servant]
[Objective: Summon a Servant to aid you in the Holy Grail War]
[Difficulty: C-Rank]
[Rewards: 1 X Premium Gacha Coupon]
[Would you like to accept this Task?]
"Just teaching you how to use this to its full potential."
'Alright, you win. I'll start using this system to get rewarded for everything I do in my daily life.'
"I won't reward you if it's not anything hard!"
'Summoning a servant is hard?'
"It isn't. But the consequences are."
'Consequences?'
What was she talking about? Unease filled his heart.
"You're about to flip the war upside down with this move. Everything you know about the upcoming events will change... Do you still wish to proceed?"
'Sakura having a crush on me has already changed plenty. I was ready for the so-called butterfly effect the moment I made my decision to participate. So...'
He accepted the quest to dismiss the window blocking his sight.
'Artoria, Gilgamesh, Heracles, Lancer, or even that fucking Zouken, let them line up. I'm gonna defeat them and win for Mom.'
Arch fell silent this time.
"...You momcon idiot."
'Yes. That's me, and I'm proud of it!'
Arch didn't say a thing after that.
Medea wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes after laughing at his blunder.
"Forgive me, Master… your clueless expression was too…" She coughed again. "My Noble Phantasm isn't sharp enough to cut Master's skin… Master, are you even human?"
"I don't think I am." He shook his head and stretched his hand. "Cut it. I'll use my blood as a catalyst."
"That'd be…"
She took his hand and traced her glowing finger on his palm. A frigid sensation seeped into his veins before droplets of blood dripped down on the magic circle. The wound closed back as if the cut wasn't there in the first place.
Something rebounded inside him, turning everything upside down. A cold sensation filled him, birthing odd thoughts. Like the illusion of a dragon breathing a tornado of flames. His body felt hot as if he was in a hot shower notched up beyond the danger zone.
'Is this my magic power, mana?'
"Master, redirect the feeling to the summoning circle."
He closed his eyes and concentrated on pulling out this invisible energy. It obeyed his thoughts and gathered toward his hands before coming out with a burst of crimson glow.
An oppressive air filled the room.
His blood trickled into the blue magic circle, burning brighter and brighter until it burst into fragments.
Medea stared at the sheer quantity of od flowing out of him. It was beyond what a human should generate. And yet, he kept pouring out enough od to start up the summoning ritual.
Haruki stepped back and held his breath. Medea hid Rule Breaker and summoned her staff, ready to explode into action for any unexpected development.
Black petals swirled around, carrying a pleasant aroma. A mild itch enveloped his left hand—the three command spells had materialized.
'Summoning done!'
[Task completed. Well done!]
[1 x Premium Tier Gacha rewarded.]
"So that's how it feels to be called by the Throne of Heroes."
A sensual voice drifted into the room. Calling it sensual might be a big understatement. It was downright seductive.
Then, the servant materialized amidst the black petals.
Haruki's eyes couldn't go any wider.
A woman wrapped in a jet black dress with unusual long tapered ears like those of elves, and an elegant face adorned with a wide grin.
Out of all servants, he never expected her to be summoned. He didn't know whether to celebrate Semiramis's appearance or cry because his blood attracted the Queen of Poisons.
'Why? She is the daughter of a mermaid goddess and a human, so she shouldn't have the dragon attribute. I don't understand.'
He was utterly confused.
"I don't know. Maybe she is secretly a dragon!"
Her cheery disposition was surprisingly cute. He threw the thought to the back of his head.
'The Grail thinks we share similar traits?'
He couldn't think of any similarity with Semiramis.
"Could be. You were quite a terrible person in the past."
'I wasn't a backstabber for fuck's sake.'
"Are you my Master, the person who summoned me?" Semiramis wrapped a hand around her waist and held her chin. "You do indeed possess magic power of some caliber. Such a fine young man burdened with the fate to win a cruel war... What a shame."
His mental age had almost reached forty—not young by any standard!
"Shouldn't that be common in your era?" Medea interrupted with her own question as she walked to my side and stared at Semiramis. "You hold impressive magic power for an Assassin-class Servant."
Semiramis narrowed her golden eyes on Medea. "I can say the same to you… Caster. Why is another servant contracted with you? Pray tell, Master."
"Master, I do not trust this woman," Medea said through some kind of telepathy. "She reminds me of the depraved wench married to that man."
She wasn't entirely wrong. Semiramis had a long history of being on both sides of backstabbing. She poisoned the king to steal the throne. The guy had it coming after he forced her away from her husband.
'So many characters and waifus. Nasuverse is a mess through and through.'
He shook his head. "Assassin, Caster is also my servant. I'd be grateful if you don't look at her with such hostility."
Semiramis flipped her hand and black petals landed on her hand.
"This house reeks. Remnants of its past haunt every corner," she said and scattered the petals with a blow.
With mischief dazzling in her golden eyes, she gazed at Haruki.
No.
Her eyes were trained on something behind him.
"Am I right, Spirit of Vengeance?"
'Could she be talking about the ghost haunting me?'
The ghost was the only being qualified to be called the Spirit of Vengeance.
"Ah, sorry for saying unnecessary things. Let's introduce ourselves."
She held out her hand. The bronze spike protruding from her palm gave him chills. She leaned forward with a playful smile, emphasizing her breasts barely hidden underneath her dress. "The world's oldest poisoner. My Master, are you truly certain that you can wield Semiramis in this war?"
She had Assassin Class, yet she excelled in using Magecraft and summoning phantasmal beasts. Her Noble Phantasm "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon" was a force to be reckoned with. The overpowered fortress was one of the sickest things ever created in any anime. Defeating Gilgamesh will be a lot easier with a massive flying fortress.
"Only a masochist will shake hands with you," Haruki said. "And you can call me Haruki if you want."
"Master Haruki." Semiramis nodded before drawing back her hand. "First of all, where is my throne? Don't say you didn't prepare it… it's fine. I will make do with anything. Just take me out of this small place. I'm suffocating!"
"Master, this woman disgusts me."
Haruki had to agree with Medea on this one. How dare she call the place his mother bought with her blood and sweat as suffocating!
Then again, Semiramis was a genuine empress who ruled an empire for decades.
'We'll have to put aside our differences in order to win.'