-43- Why did it turn out like this

The sky gradually darkened.

Though it was already dark when Rozen and the others transmigrated to this era, the current darkness felt even more oppressive, as if it were engulfed by an invisible force.

Seeking shelter, Rozen's group found an isolated church, which seemed to be a safe place to talk without risking the sniper from the enemy.

"That Archer is a troublesome guy who can snipe from several kilometers away. It's a death wish to have conversations in open spaces with a wide view, so it's better to be inside here," Caster suggested as he entered the church first, and the rest followed.

Inside the church, they reached a cluttered chapel with scattered tables and chairs.

"Ah~ Finally, we can catch our breath," Caster said with a relaxed tone, sitting on a bench and leaning back, even tossing his staff aside.

"Master, please sit here," Mash said, gently helping Rozen to sit on another bench. She seemed reluctant to leave his side and tightly held her shield, guarding him.

Watching this scene, Rozen felt the weakness caused by his nearly depleted magical power, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness deep inside.

Helplessly watching Rozen taking a fatal blow to save her, Mash seemed to be left with some lingering fear from the incident.

So, Mash's clinginess seemed to have increased exponentially; she didn't want to leave Rozen's side even for a moment and stayed by him constantly.

Given her nature, she probably felt guilty about not being able to protect me, Rozen thought as he tried to activate his magic circuits, converting his life force to generate new magical energy.

Regaining her composure, Olga Marie spoke assertively, returning to her usual director-like demeanor.

"You're one of the Servants in the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City, Caster, right?" she asked in a confrontational manner.

Caster shrugged, seemingly carefree and unfazed by Olga Marie's confrontation.

"Well, don't be so wary of me. Didn't I already say I'm not your enemy, at least for now?" he replied casually, maintaining his light-hearted attitude.

Olga Marie was visibly displeased by his nonchalant behavior and glared at Rozen, who felt perplexed by the situation.

Does this girl have mood swings? Rozen wondered, unable to understand why Olga Marie was acting this way.

However, Rozen was unaware that Olga Marie's reaction stemmed from Caster's demeanor, which bore some resemblance to Rozen's carefree and independent style, although Rozen didn't display the same level of levity as Caster.

Olga Marie didn't mention this similarity and merely snorted in response to Caster's attitude.

"Whether you are an enemy or not is not for you to decide; it's for us to judge," Olga Marie said bluntly to Caster, "Since we arrived in Fuyuki City, we have been attacked by Servants. And since you are also a Servant, we cannot afford to be careless."

Rozen had mentioned that the Servants in Fuyuki City might have attacked them because of the Holy Grail War. To win the Holy Grail War, Masters and their Servants must fight and eliminate each other until only one pair remains, which may have led to the other Servants targeting Rozen and Mash as fellow Masters and Servants.

However, just as Olga Marie was thinking this, Rozen, though still weak from mana exhaustion, unexpectedly spoke up, "This Servant should be fine."

Olga Marie and Mash looked at each other in surprise and silence.

Rozen continued, "The attackers, Archer and Berserker, had some strange black markings on them, right? At first, I thought it might be a unique feature of the summoning system in Fuyuki City, but you don't have those markings. So, it seems there's another reason for it."

Based on this observation, Rozen judged that Caster was different from the other attackers.

Caster then smiled, finding Rozen's analysis interesting, "Indeed, I'm not like those guys. I simply ensured that the others didn't interfere. A spectacular battle like that would be a shame if someone else disrupted it."

Rozen then concluded that Caster was the one who had stopped Archer from interfering with their fight. Caster didn't deny it and seemed to genuinely appreciate the thrilling battle.

This display of heroism and honor made the group start to trust Caster, but Rozen still had a pressing question to address, "Since you're a Servant in the Holy Grail War, can you explain why Fuyuki City has turned out like this?"

However, when Rozen asked this crucial question about the destruction of Fuyuki City and the appearance of the Singularity that threatened human history, Caster gave a straightforward response that left them all stunned,

"I don't know."