[FDJ]Chapter 115: Maternal Love

Aware that he was in a dream, Suzuki was still terrified when he saw Rider Eleanor close the door to prevent him from continuing to browse through the memories.

He feared that the young and beautiful Eleanor in front of him would suddenly change from her smiling expression to the fierce look she had when cursing Duke Leopold. Suzuki was lucid, and the Rider who seemed to be actively closing the door was also lucid.

Eleanor did not seem to mind Suzuki's terrified appearance. She glanced at the number 73 on the doorframe. "Is this a memory from when I was 73 years old? If someone had told me back then that I would be 73 years old, I might not have been able to walk to Austria with these old bones."

With a sigh, Rider Eleanor turned the door lock, and the door then automatically disappeared. Not only the door but also all the fantasies that existed in the memory around them disappeared, leaving both of them in empty darkness.

"Master, you don't need to be afraid of me. I am your Servant. If I wanted to betray you, I would have done so when you and Richard summoned me. Richard is my most beloved child. Others may call him the Lionheart, Richard the Lionheart, but in my eyes, he is still a child who needs his mother's help."

Eleanor suddenly turned around, closely scrutinizing the evasive Suzuki's eyes. She gently embraced Suzuki and asked teasingly, "Would the Master be willing to become the child I dote on?"

The terror completely overshadowed the calmness. Suzuki was so frightened that he could not even move his lips, and the instinct to scream was forcibly suppressed. Suzuki could see the uncontrollable crazy love and possessiveness in Eleanor's eyes. To her, Suzuki might be more like a rare plush toy, an object that belonged to her and her alone. Before this desire subsided, she naturally would not harm Suzuki.

"You... which side are you trying to help?" Suzuki asked the question that had been puzzling him since the beginning. In the past, he did not understand words like "mother" and "mama" very well, but now he understands a little. The emotional bond contained in them is indestructible, even the righteous blade of justice cannot sever this unique love.

"Do you want me to tell the truth? How can I help both sides? You are my Master, and he is my child. Master, if you were in my position, who would you choose to help?"

Eleanor loosened her grip on Suzuki's hands a little. Even without using force, she had been applying a great deal of pressure on him.

"I would only choose to side with the one who represents humanity."

Suzuki's response was unhesitating. When it came to matters concerning the survival of humanity, he had this set answer, no matter what unimaginable threats he faced.

Eleanor smiled dismissively. "You don't understand a mother's heart. A mother may be weak, needing her husband's love, an immature princess. But the moment someone tries to harm her child, even if the enemy is a ferocious dragon, she can instantly transform into a brave warrior to protect her child. And I was never a princess - I am the Grand Duchess who rules over the Aquitaine territories!"

The intensity in Eleanor's eyes instilled deeper fear in Suzuki. Although he still couldn't understand, he was certain that it was because Eleanor had become his Servant that he was able to survive until now. Eleanor was the optimal, perhaps even the only, solution in this chaotic and crazy Holy Grail War of 1187.

"Master, you are still afraid of me, resisting me. Why is that? You, who have no wishes, are full of fear towards human emotions, aren't you? You originally couldn't believe that the intangible connection between people could be more reliable than Command Seals. But now you've realized that Command Seals can only serve as an insurance policy, and one with only three uses at that - far less reliable than the connection of emotions!"

Eleanor's piercing gaze seemed to reflect the emptiness in the depths of Suzuki's heart, where there was nothing besides the mission to save humanity. If such an existence could be considered human, then intelligent machines should be granted personhood even more.

Suzuki tried to avoid Eleanor's gaze, but he was still held by the shoulders, and though she wasn't using force, he couldn't break free.

"The little hero who boasts of saving human order is merely an existence with only a human outline, how interesting. Master, I am your Servant, your partner in this era. Unlike Jeanne who is straightforward and full of a sense of justice, my love transcends justice. You can sway Jeanne with the great justice of saving human order, but I find it utterly unappealing. Do you need me to teach you how to do it?"

A sense of danger directly reached Suzuki's heart through his shoulders. Eleanor, disregarding Suzuki's resisting posture in the dream, announced like a declaration: "Kidnap my son Richard and use him to threaten me. Or you can simply kill my son, and in his place accept all of my love..."

"'I will only choose the side that represents human order...'"

Like a machine stuck in a loop, Suzuki could only repeat the answer he had given before. Afterward, he felt the heavy pressure on him disappear, and in an instant, the Eleanor in front of him had appeared behind him.

"'Human order? Haha, if the things my son does align with human order, will you also stand by his side without hesitation? I see, although for now you and he are still in an antagonistic relationship, as long as he can accomplish... the great feat... the Servant of the Master will declare...'"

Suzuki Yuki did not hear the rest of her words, as Eleanor grew more and more distant from him until she faded away behind him.

Suzuki Yuki unconsciously turned his head, and he saw a door marked with the number 83 appear behind him. He hadn't even taken a step when his consciousness was abruptly pulled back to reality.

With difficulty, he opened his eyes. He was still in the location where he had just been attacked by Archer, the area strewn with blood."

Suzuki Yuki tried to stand up, only to realize he was lying in the arms of Rider Eleanor. Looking up, he was met with Eleanor's faintly smiling expression."

"'Master, it's not good to sleep on the battlefield, you'll catch a cold.'"

Suzuki Yuki's face immediately turned pale with fright. He was completely certain that the young Eleanor who had appeared in his dream was the real Eleanor, and despite holding three Command Seals, he felt utterly unsafe.

"Don't doubt it, just now I used my powers to invade your dream, it was the Master who browsed my memories without permission first."

"Remember, you'll live until you're 83 years old. The final door..."

"You know about my history?" Eleanor's feigned smile suddenly disappeared, and she released Suzuki Yuki, helping him up. "83 years old, isn't that too long to live in the 12th century? At first, I was glad I lived so long, those hateful fellows all died earlier than me, until even Richard preceded me in death..."

The door behind held a memory that Eleanor did not want to recall.

"What is your wish exactly?" Suzuki Yuki could not discern Eleanor's allegiance. If she wanted to betray him, she had countless opportunities, but the current information seemed to indicate she leaned towards Richard, as she had protected Suzuki Yuki from Richard's pursuit and seemed to be assisting Richard's plans.

Eleanor could understand Suzuki Yuki's current doubts about her. She helped Suzuki Yuki brush off the dirt and mud on his clothes. "I said from the beginning, I'm just here for some fun. Master, don't you find this Holy Grail War interesting?"

Suzuki Yuki instinctively wanted to shake his head and deny it, but he didn't.

"You're serious? Interesting?"

"Of course, I'm serious about such an important matter. Otherwise, what do you think my wish is?" As Eleanor spoke, she unconsciously turned towards the valley, once again hearing the piercing scream of an Assassin, which she had heard earlier when she came to check on the unconscious Suzuki Yuki. It had been less than an hour.

The situation seemed abnormal. If the target was Aphaf, the Master of Don Quixote, it shouldn't have taken the Assassin this long, and she shouldn't have used her Noble Phantasm twice.

Suzuki Yuki also faintly heard the scream, and immediately thought of the Assassin Jane Grey he had seen before. The source was deep in the valley - an Assassin Servant had bypassed the guards at the valley's entrance, making the assassination trivial.

"You said the Assassin wouldn't recover so quickly." Suzuki Yuki reminded Eleanor sternly.

"Yes, but what I said then was under normal circumstances, without a Servant specialized in healing." Eleanor thought she had hinted enough for Suzuki Yuki to be on guard, but she had overestimated his acuity in picking up on her implications.

Suzuki just remembered that Eleanor did mention that before, and she specifically referred to the Servant who is a dedicated healer.

"Do you know who the Caster Servant that controls snakes is?"

"Yes. After seeing the snake familiars, I asked Saladin for any information he had. According to the spy in the Crusader camp, the Caster has been hiding within the camp. He is a gloomy-looking man with an ancient Greek style of dress. The spy was fortunate enough to observe this Servant using exceptional medical skills to treat the wounded - he seems to be a kind-hearted person beneath his cold demeanor."

Eleanor paused for a moment. "Greek, snake familiars, skilled in medicine. Can you guess the true identity of this Caster Servant based on these clues?"

A Servant from ancient Greece skilled in medicine and closely associated with snakes - aside from Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, it would be difficult to find another that fits so perfectly. The Chaldea organization places great emphasis on the heroic figures of Greek mythology, and with a little recollection, Suzuki was able to recall all the relevant information.

"By your expression, I can see you've figured it out. Asclepius, the divine son known as the god of medicine." Eleanor seemed satisfied with Suzuki's response. He had not made the connection until last night when he realized the Assassin who had nearly killed him on the spot was able to recover so quickly.

"The Assassin has invaded, and I must go assist. Against a Servant, a human has no chance of escape." Suzuki had witnessed the likes of Attila and Attius, so these opponents were clearly beyond his consideration.

Archer Tristan was responsible for the feint, Rider Baldwin I was restraining the enemy Servants, and Assassin had infiltrated to carry out the assassination - the tactics made full use of their numerical advantage in Servants.

Normally, by the time Suzuki realized what was happening, the Assassin would have already succeeded.

"Understood." Eleanor immediately summoned her chariot, drawn by two horses composed of magical energy, and they sped off towards the direction of the commotion.