[FDJ]Chapter 112: Pulling the Bowstring

The arrival of night marked the end of a day's labor for the people in the 12th century. They could enjoy a warm dinner with their families, engage in conversations about the day's events, offer prayers to their revered deities, and eventually retire to sleep, welcoming the sunrise of the next day.

However, for those involved in the Holy Grail War, the night was the beginning of nightmares, and the relaxed mindset of daytime had to change.

"Master, everything seems normal at the outskirts of the valley," came the direct report from Rider, Eleanor, through a command spell. Suzuki observed the distant watchtower, where torches burned brightly around the military camp in the valley. Many injured soldiers were still receiving treatment. The skirmishes during the day didn't seem as small-scale as they were described before their departure.

"Assassin was severely injured by us the night before. Is there a possibility of early recovery tonight?" 

"It's highly unlikely, Master. However, we still need to remain cautious. Unless there's a dedicated medical Servant in the enemy camp, the command spell can only repair temporary injuries," replied Rider.

Meanwhile, Rider patrolled the outskirts of the valley on her chariot, observing for any suspicious snake familiars. She also bestowed blessings upon the hundred or so people who were coordinating the patrol, enhancing their fundamental abilities. While it wouldn't be effective against other Servants, it could be useful when encountering unidentified creatures.

It was still a sunny day, with less rainfall in this region compared to Eleanor's previous home in England. In a moment of reverie, she recalled the times when she used to ride horses in the rain. She could do whatever she pleased, even if the maid and the attendants advised caution and prepared the carriage for rainy days.

Her beloved son, Richard, was the same. In her memories, he was a child who enjoyed listening to stories about King Arthur and had lofty ideals. Becoming a king lost its allure to him after he turned twelve. He often said that he, too, would go to the Holy City like his mother and other kings, to save the faithful threatened by pagans and let the glory of the Lord shine upon the earth.

A true knight fights to uphold their vows, save the people, and protect their faith. Richard's words were more infectious and inspiring than those of his peers. Eleanor's upbringing undoubtedly succeeded. She aimed not only to cultivate an heir to the throne but also to nurture a legendary champion who would surpass her achievements. As a woman, Eleanor's capabilities were inherently limited. Although her accomplishments were worthy of praise and recognition, her romantic entanglements with Louis VII seemed to overshadow her legacy.

She remembered her son wielding a wooden sword in the training grounds, shouting peculiar names for his moves. He especially liked calling his sword the Sword of Promise Victory. At that time, she didn't correct her son's chuunibyou behavior. Little did she know that her son would surpass her and render any correction unnecessary.

...

Snakes lurked quietly in the grass as Eleanor's chariot passed by them. They transmitted the images they saw back to their controller. Meanwhile, Caster, stationed at the Crusader camp, relayed Rider Eleanor's coordinates to other approaching Servants.

Assassin, the first to arrive, had already bypassed the human patrol and was swiftly approaching the mouth of the valley, carried by the night breeze across the plains. Eleanor, after concluding her reminiscence, sensed the presence of a Servant rapidly approaching her.

She also detected the presence of Rider Baldwin I, who possessed the ability to summon a chariot, just like her. Both of them remained in their spiritual form, hidden from view.

"Master, we've encountered the enemy Rider. Be cautious," Eleanor warned.

Eleanor glanced at the serpentine familiars lurking in the grass and then decelerated, heading towards the opposing Servant.

Like a rapid military advance, Baldwin I's chariot, although manned by a single person, exuded the aura of a massive army. It consumed magical energy without hesitation, and the two-wheeled chariot, propelled without horses, swept up grass, trees, and rocks along its path, with its rapidly spinning wheels visible to the naked eye from several kilometers away, emanating a divine radiance.

No warning was necessary from Eleanor. The nearby patrol units would also notice the imposing presence of the first king of Jerusalem.

The opponent, upon seeing Eleanor, immediately switched to a long spear and provocatively emitted a magical light from the spear, blasting it toward Eleanor's chariot.

The feigned attack failed to hit Eleanor's chariot, and the two chariots passed each other, each changing direction. Eleanor couldn't allow the opponent to enter the valley. Aside from Berserker, the most powerful Servant was likely Baldwin I, who also belonged to the Rider class. Once this king entered the camp in the valley, the soldiers who had come from Egypt would face unimaginable slaughter.

Eleanor did not retaliate but simply evaded the symbolic attacks of her opponent while driving her chariot.

"My dear son has also imposed a geas on you, forbidding you from attacking me proactively. I hope he won't abuse it, right?" Taking advantage of the momentary crossing, Eleanor unabashedly asked the opponent.

Baldwin I's expression grew complex. He retracted his fabricated Holy Spear and ceased his meaningless thrashing. "What do you and your son think the Holy Grail War is? Child's play? My brother is an overly battle-hungry madman, and you two are the complete opposite, on the other extreme."

"King Baldwin doesn't like resorting to plots?" Eleanor enjoyed seeing others helpless and infuriated. Compared to the terrifying intimidation of Berserker Godfrey, and Rider Baldwin I fell short. As for respecting seniority and such taboos, she had none. She did whatever she pleased and didn't care about the opponent's identity in life.

"What exactly do you want to achieve? I never believed a mother would stand against her child for some noble cause, and as for the agreement that your son shouldn't attack you, you two..."

The seventh geas was still enforced, forcefully silencing Baldwin I's continued speech. Richard, who was not pleased with overhearing Baldwin I's idle words, was not far away.

"Hahaha, it seems my dear son still sees you both as tools and doesn't believe in the greatness of a former king."

The two chariots took different paths, and the two Riders, in a tense standoff, maintained an unusual "understanding," with neither side launching an attack, resembling a pair locked in a stalemate.

After receiving Eleanor's warning, Suzuki immediately informed the nearby outpost. The magus there quickly followed the plan and issued a magical alert. Unlike the stealthy attack by Assassin the night before, this time the defending forces had enough preparation time, and it seemed that the activated magical defenses within the valley were effective.

A gentle night breeze blew over Suzuki's head, but a momentary sense of fear overwhelmed the security provided by the magical defenses around him.

As he looked up, he saw a "star" of light appearing in the far sky, rapidly approaching and growing brighter. He could even perceive it with his naked eye.

Suzuki instinctively crouched down to protect his head just as the arrows arrived, destroying a nearby outpost. The exquisite magical skills of the 12th-century humans were useless, as the wooden structure instantly twisted into a compressed "roll" as if it were wrapped in newspaper. The scattered wooden fragments and the deafening sound of the explosion brought a more palpable sense of terror to the witnesses.

Archer!

Suzuki realized that he was under long-range sniping from Archer, and judging by the power, it was highly probable that the opponent had directly used their Noble Phantasm.

Successive explosions resounded, and Suzuki felt the air around him violently shaking. Each ordinary-looking arrow was as powerful as a stone thrown by a catapult, with even greater accuracy surpassing all long-range weapons of this era.

When Suzuki struggled to stand up, holding his dizzy head, all the surrounding outposts had already been destroyed. From his position, he saw that the soldiers were all in a state of panic. Humans had never witnessed this kind of formation in battle, and their devout faith could only ensure that they didn't immediately flee in defeat.

The helplessness of facing Servants was also reflected in Suzuki. He hesitated about whether to forcibly summon Eleanor using a Command Spell. The teachings of Chaldea leaned heavily towards one-on-one combat, and battles with multiple opponents were always avoided. The reasons were self-evident. Suzuki's Servant engaged in combat with the enemy Servant, while he was under threat from another Servant's sniping. Recalling Eleanor was only a delaying tactic.

In his haste, Suzuki ran down the only remaining undamaged outpost. As expected, the arrow precisely destroyed the outpost just as he reached it. Suzuki suspected that the Archer on the other side didn't intend to shoot and kill him. Otherwise, with the opponent's shooting accuracy, the first arrow could have taken Suzuki's life from a distance.

Watching the fallen outpost behind him, Suzuki crawled to avoid the scattered wooden beams.

The magic robe he was wearing was covered in a layer of mud and ash, but compared to the injured soldiers scattered around him, he was "fortunate." Archer's attacks had only avoided Suzuki, making no difference to ordinary people facing a natural disaster. After enduring nearly ten minutes of attacks, they still didn't know the enemy's location and could only see arrows falling toward defensive structures. Even the hidden sentries on the mountain walls had been precisely targeted.

According to Suzuki's judgment, this unidentified Archer's archery skills were not inferior to Atalanta, whom he had encountered before. Perhaps the individual arrows were not as powerful as the famous Greek huntress, and the Noble Phantasm didn't seem to be a widespread rain of arrows, but the continuous onslaught was still deadly for humans.

Suzuki pulled himself up from the ground, his hearing restored, but his ears were still filled with the shouts of the surrounding soldiers. Many had been seriously injured by the arrows, while others were pinned under collapsed structures. Of course, some were barely clinging to life, desperately seeking help.

Suzuki saw several young soldiers lying in front of him, and he thought of using the Mystic Code within his clothes for emergency healing—it might be enough to save one person.

But someone swiftly stopped Suzuki's futile action. After he stood up, a magus who had sent a signal earlier grabbed Suzuki's intact left hand and led him toward a concealed spot behind the mountain wall.

"You're being reckless! Young man, run! The enemy we're facing is not something we can handle," the magus shouted, releasing Suzuki's hand with a push. "Go to the Sultan!"

An invisible arrow precisely shattered the magus' head, not just for the magus who had evaded the first round of attacks, but for everyone who had a magical response. Except for Suzuki Yuki.

Suzuki had initially thought that the opponent didn't have a ranged attack. Now he witnessed the reason—the opponent could achieve their goal by simultaneously launching multiple invisible arrows.

Watching another person lose their life before him, Suzuki became even calmer. The fact that he was still alive only meant that the other party didn't want to kill him.

After the chaotic cacophony subsided, the sound of a beautiful and melodious melody gradually reached Suzuki. A male Archer wearing a red cloak appeared outside the valley, but the weapon he held in his hand was a harp. It was hard to believe that such devastating blows could be caused by a musical instrument.