-47- The inaccessible noble phantasm

The sky over Fuyuki City remained dark and unchanged, as if frozen in time. Inside the secluded church, Rozen and the others seemed to have retired for the night, creating a tranquil atmosphere within the chapel.

A slight creak of the door broke the silence, and at that moment, the grand entrance to the chapel opened. Holding a shield, Mash stepped out of the church and walked slowly towards the courtyard.

"Fou!" On Mash's shoulder, Fou made a questioning sound, as if asking what was happening.

"Sorry, just coming out for a look," Mash responded to Fou's inquiry before raising her head to gaze at the sky.

In that instant, a peculiar glimmer appeared in Mash's eyes. It was the same expression of melancholy she had shown when she gazed at the sky in Chaldea, appearing both pitiful and remarkably beautiful.

Even Fou seemed reluctant to disturb the scene, and thus remained quiet.

However, there are always people who are oblivious to such delicate moments. Shortly after, a second person emerged from the chapel.

Thanks to her role as an Pseudo-Servent, Mash was almost immediately aware of someone approaching. Her reflexes kicked in, and she turned to look at the door behind her.

The next second, Mash froze momentarily, then spoke, "Senpai..."

It was Rozen.

Seeing Mash standing alone in the courtyard, Rozen walked towards her.

"Did I disturb you?" Rozen stood side by side with Mash, casually stretching his back and smiling playfully, as if he weren't interrupting anything at all,.

The familiar demeanor made Mash's despondent expression soften slightly, showing a faint smile.

"Are you feeling better now, Senpai?" Mash asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know my magical circuits, even if I deplete all my mana, one night is enough for recovery," Rozen shrugged, proudly expressing his recovery rate.

The prideful attitude made Mash think one thing: "Senpai is still Senpai, there hasn't been any change despite the current situation."

Rozen is serious when he needs to be, more diligent than anyone when it's necessary, even though his physical abilities are quite low, his intelligence is quite high. And then, there's also a bit of rebellion, a childish side to him.

That's the Rozen that Mash knows.

Being with Rozen always brings a sense of relaxation to Mash, even though there's no room for relaxation at the moment.

Mash was deep in thought but then she found that a finger suddenly pressed against her forehead.

"You're frowning like a sandwich," Rozen used his finger to smooth the faint wrinkles on Mash's forehead, saying helplessly, "What are you thinking about? So lost in thought?"

Rozen's gaze met Mash's, his eyes not deep but sincere and honest, making Mash's heart flustered.

"No... nothing..." Mash tried to deny, but before the words were fully formed, Rozen promptly rejected it.

"Who are you trying to deceive? With your transparent expression, you can't hide anything, not even from me, let alone anyone else," Rozen said, not in a good mood.

Although his tone was displeased, it was convincing.

Isn't that true?

"In this world, there's no one who understands you better than me. You're my dearest junior," Rozen teased, making Mash's face blush slightly.

However, soon Mash's expression returned to its melancholic state.

"Senpai..."

Finally, facing the person she was closest to and most familiar with, Mash couldn't help but speak up.

"I'm so useless, aren't I?"

With just this sentence, one can grasp how Mash feels at the moment.

But, there's nothing that can be done about it.

"Even though I've decided to help senpai, I've been nothing but a burden."

Mash lamented.

"When we were at Chaldea, because of me, senpai was locked up in the control room and almost died."

"After becoming a Pseudo-Servant, I was supposed to protect senpai, but you ended up protecting me and got attacked by Berserker."

"Senpai, with the most outstanding Master qualifications, should have formed a contract with the most excellent Servant, that way, you could easily overcome the current predicament."

"But, instead, senpai formed a contract with a half-baked servent like me."

Each sentence she spoke was filled with guilt.

Facing Mash, what could Rozen say?

Words of comfort?

That would be hollow.

Words of placation?

That would be foolish.

At times like this, no matter what is said, it's difficult to have an effect, right?

After all, the reality is there.

Rozen is indeed recognized as the most excellent Master, without a doubt.

Mash, on the other hand, is indeed a half-baked one, who only recently acquired the power of a Servant and has no combat experience.

And Mash is now facing a serious problem.

"I don't even know the true name of the Servant who granted me power."

Mash said softly, addressing a very serious issue.

Indeed.

Mash doesn't even know the true name of the Servant who granted her power.

This leads to...

"I can't even use the Noble Phantasm of that Servant."

This is evidence that Mash is still a half-baked one.

Unable to use Noble Phantasms.

In other words, unable to unleash the trump card that could turn the tables.

With such a limitation, Mash's combat strength has undoubtedly decreased.

"Do you know, Senpai?"

Mash looked up and gazed at Rozen.

"As a Master like you, you should be able to analyze the abilities of the Servant, right?"

Hearing this, a piece of information automatically surfaced in Rozen's mind.

......

Class: Shielder

True Name: Mash Kyrielight

Alignment: Lawful Good

Parameters----------

Strength: C

Endurance: A

Agility: D

Magic: B

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: —

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: A

Nullify magic circles and grand sorceries, even the highest-ranked contemporary magician cannot use magecraft to inflict direct damage.

Riding: C

Able to ride most vehicles and beasts with above average skill.

Shielder's Protection: C

Grants invincibility for one turn. (Not applicable to oneself.) Higher ranks allow the defense to spread to the entire party.

Dependent Inheritance: ?

A special skill held by the Demi-Servant, inheriting one of the skills possessed by the Heroic Spirit they are fused with and elevating it into their own field. In this case, the inherited skill is "Mana Defense," a skill of the same type as "Mana Burst," which can convert magical energy directly into defensive power. If possessing an enormous amount of magical energy, it can even become a protective barrier capable of guarding an entire country.

Retained Skills—

Fortress of the Snowy White Wall: —

The ability to evade attacks by shifting the object in time, even attacks of a high-dimensional scale can be evaded with enough skill level.

Resolution to Protect: —

A firm resolution to protect the person behind at any cost, regardless of who the opponent is.