Summoning Process (2)

To all of you who voted for Tamamo Cat, I hate you e.e

=============================

Seth thought he wouldn't have trouble seeing her again from up close, but it seemed to him like he was mistaken. Still, he wasn't a teenage boy, so he wasn't going to overreact. Instead, he would take a deep breath and pretend nothing was happening.

However, fate had other plans for him. The moment Tamamo Cat stepped out of the summoning circle, she began looking around while sniffing. This weird behavior continued until she finally locked gazes with Seth.

But the strange thing happened just then. Tears began to fall from her eyes without her control. "Huh?" Tamamo rubbed her eyes, not understanding what was happening, a trait shared by everyone present. The only one who had a bit of an understanding was Zhuge Liang, since paying close attention to small details was a fundamental part of being a strategist.

Seeing Tamamo Cat like that, even if she wasn't exactly the one he was in love with, certainly made him feel terrible. Even so, now was not the time for stuff like that.

'I hope you can someday forgive my selfishness, Ama. As for you, you can rest all you want. When you wake up, you won't be affected by seeing me ever again.' The moment Tamamo Cat looked at Seth again, trying to know where all those horrible feelings she just felt came from, she immediately collapsed on the ground.

Zhuge Liang traced Berserker's gaze to Seth but only saw him with his eyes closed and arms folded. However, he soon opened them to look directly at him. Taking that as the signal to 'retreat,' he turned to Archer. "Instead of observing, how about you pick her up and take the girl to a room where she can rest?"

EMIYA, who was dumbfounded by the turn of events like everyone else, answered promptly. "R-Right..." Archer moved from his place while the rest were still unmoving due to their shock and gently carried Tamamo in a princess carry.

Only then did the rest of them react. "Doctor, is this normal?" Fujimaru asked with uncertainty. He knew that Heroic Spirits came in different packages, and every one of them was a world. But still, this blew his mind.

"Even if you ask me..." How was he supposed to answer? Tamamo Cat's behavior was weird, even for him. "Maybe she smelled something bad?" It was the only conclusion he came up with, seeing her previous actions. However, his words created a shadow over everyone's eyes. They didn't sit well, especially with a certain God.

'This guy is buying tickets for the beating of the year.' First, it was the matter with Jeanne, and now he was spouting bullshit. He wouldn't be surprised if his true identity were some sort of clown.

Da Vinci hit his head with her staff. "Be serious for once, Roman. Isn't your job as a Doctor to find a more reasonable reason than that?"

"You didn't have to hit me, did you?! At times like this, the only thing that is left is to—" "If you try to ask that internet idol of yours, we are going to have a serious talk, Doctor." Already knowing what he was going to do, Mash interrupted him with a reprimanding tone.

"Not you too, Mash! Is this what they call rebellious phase?" Romani whipped away fake tears, causing a forced laugh on Fujimaru and a sea of embarrassment on Shielder.

Seth, deciding not to waste any more time in this circus, went ahead and grabbed the remaining Saint Quartz from the table and went to put them on the slots surrounding the shield. However, when he passed by Fujimaru, more concretely, by Carmilla, he noticed the oozing desire she had to kill him.

Fortunately for her, she restrained herself, knowing she couldn't win. The black-haired man was not in the best of moods right now. Had she acted, he would have killed her on the spot.

Wasting no time, he placed the multicolored stones in their respective place and took some steps back. Fujimaru and his group had already retreated to give him some space.

Jeanne and Jalter also stayed back, not wanting to interrupt him. Still, Avenger hoped for Seth to summon only men. She knew that was not going to happen, though, much to her dissatisfaction.

As usual, the circle lit up, spun, and released rays of light that danced around the shield. A pillar of energy shot up from it before quickly fading, revealing the first Servant.

"Rider, Boudica. Nice to meet you." The Queen of Britannia greeted Seth with a smile on her face, although it quickly became a little forced when she saw Nero on the back of the room waving at her.

"Hey, Boudica! You are here too?! This adventure just got a hundred, no, a thousand times better! Umu, let's have a banquet to celebrate!" Nero sounded excited. If it weren't because of Zhuge Liang 'restraining' her, then she would have run to Rider already.

Boudica sighed before adopting a stern expression. "You are causing trouble for everyone, can't you act like a proper Emperor and be mindful of your surroundings?"

"I know that! I just am glad to see you here." Nero pouted as she crossed her arms and looked sideways like a child who was trying to show anger or dissatisfaction.

Seth's Servants showed different reactions to her. For once, Jeanne thought her outfit was more indecent compared to before in Rome, while Jalter just directly marked her as a slut.

Shaking her head at her antics, Boudica moved away from the circle that activated soon after. This time, the Servant summoned was the terror of all men, regardless of their race or preferences. The Servant you didn't want but got anyway. In Ancient Greece, she was considered a symbol of 'the perfect idol.' However, among a selected group, she was regarded as 'The Goddess of Spook.'

Yes, she who carried the tears of countless heroes wanting to obtain a certain Gramps, or maybe a sadistic Oni, even a little girl that shouldn't be touched.

"To summon a Goddess, what a rare occasion. Fufu, a pleasure to meet you, Master." The little girl that caused them so much trouble in Rome and made their lives a living hell while they were on that island, Stheno.

"Oh? What a surprise, I did not think it would come a day where I will be the Servant of your kind. I have to say. I have mixed feelings about it." Stheno said while covering her mouth as a small smile formed on her face, although her eyes weren't smiling at all.

"And I didn't ask. Now, get out of there." Her words could have many interpretations, so he didn't bother in warning her about not opening her mouth too much. Still, he didn't have all day.

"Fair enough." Saying no more, she moved beside Boudica and closed her eyes, seemingly in deep thought.

Again, the spinning started. This time, another old face showed up. One that the group met in Orleans, same as Carmilla. "Assassin, Charles-Henri Sanson. I have come in response to your summon."

After the events of the Hundred Years War, the executioner seemed to have come to peace with something. His final moments against Marie and that douche Amadeus changed the way he saw things. For the better? That was for others to judge.

One thing was sure, though. Now, without the effects of Madness Enhancement, the calm and collected Sanson came to light. Instead of that crazy one that his only driving force was letting his blade taste Marie's neck again.

Although, he had to say, seeing Jalter here brought confusion to his mind. Still, he didn't dwell too much on that thought, believing that someone would explain to him in time.

After his introduction, Sanson bowed his head a bit. "I apologize for all the trouble I had caused you during the events in France. I will do my best to atone for that."

"Don't worry about it. Doing whatever you can do to the best of your ability is enough." In the end, he belonged to the evil camp. Blaming Sanson for doing something wicked would be stupid. Besides, it wasn't like he could go imparting moral lessons about how to be a 'good citizen' left and right.

"Understood, Master." Nodding his head, he positioned himself behind him. He greeted his two new companions. While Boudica kindly returned the greeting, Stheno just gave him a smile that sent shivers down his spine.

'The last one, huh...' Seth thought while looking at his palm. There, a small white piece of cloth was quietly resting. 'I have never used a catalyst before, and I don't know if it will work with this type of summoning. It's worth a try, though.'

The circle lit up once more. However, now it wasn't a white light, but it was a rainbow one instead. The ray of lights extended even farther than before, along with a slight tremble in the room.

Boudica and Sanson, who were the closest one to the event, stepped forward to defend their Master in case something happened, Stheno just moved behind Seth to protect herself.

Jeanne and Jalter immediately moved to his side to protect him too. Nero, Carmilla, Zhuge Liang, and Mash surrounded Fujimaru in a semi-circle, ready for everything that may come.

The staff members and Romani tried to process the data on their respective computers to try and understand what was happening. "Be careful and prepare for an eventual fight!"

A pillar bigger than the ones before emerged from the ground. When it disappeared, a figure was standing there, proudly like a seasoned warrior.

"I'm Altera. A warrior of the Hun and the God of War Mars." She introduced herself with a firm tone that demonstrated power, before adding something in a barely audible voice at the end to hide her embarrassment. "Also...a warrior of the God of War Seth."

If summoning Altera lifted his mood significantly, the last part made him want to chuckle. Still, he didn't want to ruin the image of a cold person she always tried to portray, so he held it in.

Instead, he simply told his Servants to step back. He then extended his hand forward. "Welcome, Altera. Let's fight together this time, shall we?"

Saber looked at the hand in front of him, hesitating in taking hold of it. Mainly because of all the stares she was getting. But in the end, she grabbed it although she couldn't look at him in the eye when she did so.

There was a hint of jealousy on Avenger's face witnessing all of this. The preferential treatment this new Servant was getting didn't thrill her at all. Meanwhile, Jeanne didn't know what she was feeling. It was a foreign emotion she couldn't comprehend.

Seth then turned to Romani. "Is this all you wanted? If it is so, then I will go to the Simulation Room to train with them."

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah." The doctor replied absentmindedly, what in heavens was going on?! After this, he was going to watch a live stream of Magi☆Mari to heal his wounded heart!

"Be sure to come here tonight. We have to discuss what our next plans are, and you still have to give us the information you obtained." Da Vinci reminded Seth with her usual 'excited' voice, earning a nod from him.

The Egyptian God and his new Servants, including Jeanne and Jalter, then marched to exit the room. Still, when all was said and done, Stheno was not particularly happy about this training thing.

When Altera moved past Nero, her sword trembled slightly, seemingly wanting to end her life there and then. However, Seth squeezed her hand slightly in signal for her not to do anything rash; this calmed her as she resisted the urges to kill the Emperor.

Without any further complications, they disappeared from the group's view.