[FDJ]Chapter 119: Supplementary Writing

Alterego Don Quixote is still in book form, and Aphaf confirmed that her servant can still be summoned back.

After hearing this news, Suzuki felt somewhat relieved. He initially thought that the old knight Don Quixote had already sacrificed himself in last night's attack.

But with good news comes bad news. While they were exchanging information in the palace, a soldier reported that the Red Knight had already arrived nearby, breaking through the well-prepared defenses one by one with an unknown weapon capable of shooting arrows.

Everyone fell silent after the initial panic. With Rider Eleanor present, Suzuki and the others did not need to evade the enemy servant, and those unaware of the Holy Grail War did not dare to show cowardice in front of Saladin.

Suzuki, upon hearing this battle report, looked at Eleanor standing beside him. "It must be Archer. He uses a bow transformed from a harp, excellent at long-range sniping and continuous shooting."

"Has Archer already made it here?" Eleanor maintained her usual calm demeanor. She always appeared indifferent to matters she didn't care about. Without needing an explanation from Suzuki, she had already encountered that Round Table Knight.

"Rider, they need your help." Suzuki couldn't quite categorize Eleanor as his servant or Richard's. While it's true she defeated Assassin, her revealed memories and ambiguous attitude were also real. Even if Eleanor ensured that she wouldn't betray them, verbal agreements meant nothing in the Holy Grail War, where betrayal was the norm.

Saladin sat still and silent, seemingly unconcerned about the building being targeted by Archer. Despite the soldier's report painting Archer Tristan as a terrifying figure, some present nobles and attendants had already turned pale at the seemingly miraculous archery that had destroyed several defense lines.

"Archer's weaknesses are poison attacks and low luck. His true name is Tristan of the Round Table. If we have a strategy, it's not impossible to defeat him quickly," Suzuki added, sharing what he knew about Archer Tristan. Following the standard Holy Grail War analysis of servant information, he devised a plan to exploit the enemy's weaknesses, relying on Rider Eleanor as the only servant present.

Eleanor nodded in response. She had already thought of how to deal with Archer before Suzuki spoke. As for defeating Archer? She found him quite pleasant and saw no reason to kill him. Archer Tristan wasn't just a Round Table Knight favored by her son Richard; his loyalty surpassed that of several Jerusalem kings.

"You stay here, leave the enemy servant outside to me." Eleanor was confident the battle would be brief unless her son Richard had planned a second wave of attacks. She didn't respond to Suzuki's reminders of weaknesses or indicate whether she needed support, as if entrusting everything to her was sufficient.

She stepped outside the palace, summoned her waiting chariot, and headed straight for the combat zone.

After Eleanor left, Suzuki instinctively glanced at the tunnel entrance. He still found it hard to believe that Saladin would escape disgracefully, but recalling his near encounter with Archer, he felt relieved. Archer sparing him didn't mean he'd do the same for Saladin.

"Young man, do you find my escape strange?" Saladin noticed Suzuki's gaze. He had many questions for Aphaf, but due to the sudden situation earlier, he temporarily set aside his curiosity and focused on Suzuki's condition. Eleanor leaving Suzuki behind showed sincere trust, as she wasn't worried about Saladin taking the opportunity to harm him.

"No," Suzuki immediately denied it. He respected all historical heroes, believing Saladin deserved a place in the Throne of Heroes after death. In his mind, he naturally held this era's Saladin in high regard. Yet, he felt the real Saladin before him was quite different from the hero depicted in history books. This Saladin could use some magecraft, didn't shy away from human sacrifices, and always exuded a calculating aura, yet also displayed a saintly demeanor never recorded in future histories—a contradiction.

"What am I depicted as in the future? It seems you have some misconceptions about me. In reality, I am just an old feudal king," Saladin guessed what Suzuki was thinking and humorously interrupted his musings.

Saladin's contemporaries were even more ruthless, brutal, and contrary to modern values. He acknowledged that Suzuki's respect stemmed from the stark contrast between him and the Crusaders' brutality. Many people naively believed in black-and-white morality.

Had he not become the Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt, Saladin might have pursued a career in art or literature, or devoted himself to studying magecraft. He never intended to be a saint; he merely avoided several massacres while securing his interests, thus establishing a reputation distinct from the Crusaders' brutality. "Am I famous in your time?"

"You are depicted as the true leader and hero of Islamic civilization, successfully resisting Christian forces and restoring the Jerusalem region under Islamic civilization's control. You are an undisputed national hero. Your deeds are associated with generosity, integrity, and justice. At Chaldea, we speculate that the most suitable catalyst for summoning you would be a few dirham coins you left behind in your later years."

Suzuki had been forced to study Saladin's information multiple times before his departure. Naturally, he found it hard to reconcile the hero depicted in texts with the aging Sultan before him. The carpet on the floor alone couldn't be bought with a few small-denomination coins, and in Suzuki's eyes, Saladin's standards of living were quite refined.

"National hero? Integrity? Generosity? Hahahaha..." Saladin laughed heartily, disregarding his image, causing the attendants who didn't understand Latin to look around nervously. Those who did understand were few, and Saladin didn't pay them any mind. They used similar praise when flattering him, and the terms "integrity" and "generosity" were inherently contradictory.

"I see, so by conforming to so-called human principles, one can gain such an exalted title? Then those unfortunate failures are truly pitiful; they might be more deserving of these titles than I am." Saladin sighed with his last words, then solemnly called Aphaf over. After some rest, her magical energy had gradually improved, unlike when she was panting upon arrival. Holding a special book, she bypassed the attendants.

"How is your servant's condition? What needs to be done to awaken him?" Saladin himself wasn't sure how Don Quixote could revert to a book to resist the dispersal of his spirit core. Initially, he didn't consider the unremarkable Don Quixote a trump card, just tried it as a last resort. After all, if he fled this battle, he might lose his throne.

Aphaf, holding the book, used magecraft to diminish the surrounding people's attention. Previously, she hadn't used magecraft to expel the panicked nobles out of courtesy.

"Your Majesty, Vivar was severely injured last night. If not for his existence between reality and illusion, he would have dissipated due to his severe injuries."

"Be straightforward, what needs to be done to restore him?" Saladin saw through Aphaf's hesitant attitude at a glance and proactively brought up Suzuki. "Young man, can you offer some help? A few days ago, you mentioned that your magical research institution has made significant discoveries regarding servants."

Suzuki had never encountered records of servants turning into books upon severe injury; most would simply retreat, and a few could rely on abilities like "Battle Continuation" to hold on for a while. He glanced at Aphaf's hands hidden in her robe sleeves. "Perhaps using Command Spells to restore him might work. At Chaldea, we have no information on Don Quixote or similar servants."

The magic of Command Spells is far more effective than any other trick.

"Command Spells can help, but they aren't enough." Aphaf appeared troubled but confirmed Suzuki's suggestion. She opened the book in her hands, showing several blank pages to Saladin and Suzuki. "I need to write the original content of this book, about seven pages of text. After that, with the help of Command Spells or by consuming a sufficient amount of my magical energy, Don Quixote can be restored."

So the cost of survival was the consumption of the book's text? A guess flashed through Suzuki's mind as he looked at the Spanish text on the blank pages. It seemed very likely, and it was similar to the content of the English translation of "Don Quixote" he had read at Chaldea.

"I originally planned to spend a day rewriting the missing content after tonight's attack, referencing the stories of Don Quixote and many other knights I saw in my dreams. With the additional magical power from the Command Spells..." Aphaf was unsure. The content she gleaned from her dreams was bizarre, featuring not only Don Quixote but also El Cid and numerous other Spanish knights she had never heard of. Looking through the book in her hands, she found that it only featured Don Quixote as the main character, with no other knights included. However, she dared not admit her inability to do so, fearing she might anger her master, Saladin.

Aphaf doubted that rewriting based on the dream content would align closely with the original text, especially since it had to be in Spanish. Her knowledge far surpassed that of the average person of this era, but she had never encountered Spanish before. Relying on the knowledge she had temporarily gained as a Master in the Holy Grail War and her understanding of Latin, she could barely make out parts of the text, but only just. To rewrite the missing parts following the book's context was nearly impossible.

In her estimation, without filling in the text, consuming three Command Spells would be more than enough to restore Don Quixote. Randomly writing something and consuming two Command Spells to supplement the magical power would also suffice. But she only had one Command Spell left, putting her in a very difficult situation.

After hearing Aphaf's explanation, Saladin couldn't help but shake his head. He knew the people across the Mediterranean spoke Spanish, but for him to read it, he could only guess the general meaning based on the parts common with Latin. Moreover, rewriting the text was no easy task. "Don Quixote," as mentioned by his servant, was a book by a 17th-century author, making it a future work for those in the 14th century with no reference material available. Even if they found a scholar proficient in Spanish, the rewritten content would likely differ greatly from the original.

"I've only read this book in other translated languages," Suzuki understood what Aphaf meant, but he too was at a loss. All the materials at Chaldea were in English and Japanese, and they wouldn't teach other languages for matters unrelated to magecraft.

"Could you rewrite these seven pages in a language you are familiar with?" Aphaf's eyes lit up upon hearing Suzuki's suggestion. She had already planned to use her last Command Spell, but perhaps rewriting in a different language might be effective.