[FDJ]Chapter 120: Vigilance

Before Eleanor reached Archer's position, Archer had already ceased his feigned attacks, as his Master, Richard, had issued the command to withdraw.

Squinting his eyes slightly and seeing the night as if it were day, Tristan transformed his bow back into its harp form. He surveyed the carnage he had wrought; battling against human armies as a Servant had turned into a one-sided massacre. He wasn't pleased, but he accepted his Master's orders.

Gently plucking the strings, Tristan began to play his favorite melody. Playing music perhaps brought new inspiration when his emotions fluctuated. He would never feel guilty towards his enemies.

Eleanor's chariot circled the devastated positions and stopped not far away. Tristan, in high spirits, didn't intend to stop playing; he continued to let the beautiful sound of his harp echo through the death-filled valley.

Neither had the intention to fight nor were they warlike individuals.

Only after Tristan finished his performance did Eleanor step down from her chariot to state her purpose. "Your Master has already withdrawn from this valley, hasn't he? Coming in force tonight but retreating midway—did he achieve his goal?"

"He has accomplished tonight's goal, as he told me. In three days, everything will begin anew. The divine light of 'the Lord' will return to this sacred land. If the infidels here do not withdraw in advance, they will face devastating destruction."

Archer Tristan understood that Richard's "Lord" referred to the one God, Yahweh. He did not believe in such an existence but maintained the necessary respect. He already sensed that from a distant place, numerous gazes were directed at this era. Although different from the divine era's aura, they possessed a mystique no less profound. The owners of these gazes were far older than Tristan's understanding of time, completely opposing the bubble-shaped evil god Tristan had once encountered. They represented a form of order, correctness, and a feasible solution for gods to exist without relying on the divine era's magic—a supreme religious sanctity.

The so-called three days were not about stopping someone but announcing the arrival of these beings. They were overcoming unimaginable obstacles and were about to reach the era where Richard had anchored. Tristan had a stronger premonition of abnormal situations than others.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that even evil gods from other worlds could descend into this era. The barriers of this era had already been severely weakened. He was more worried about the changes after the official emergence of the singularity, whether it would truly become a utopian kingdom of happiness for all, as depicted by his Master Richard.

"If there is nothing else, please excuse me for the time being, Miss Eleanor." Archer showed perfect etiquette towards Eleanor, maintaining his grip on the harp throughout, except for his slightly squinted eyes.

"The Lord? My dear son can bring surprises. Was his goal merely to warn Saladin to withdraw his troops? Impossible, right?" Eleanor pondered briefly and directly denied the other's words. "What exactly happened to make him leave in such a hurry?"

Both ignored the tragic surroundings. The night wind carried the scent of blood and death through the valley. Archer's feigned attack tonight had killed over a thousand people. Given the medical standards of the 12th century, not many of the wounded would survive. But these didn't affect Tristan's musical interest or Eleanor's concern for her son.

"…" Tristan hesitated for a moment, then hung the harp back at his waist, showing his intent to leave. "The evil god that appeared last night has descended again, though at a smaller scale, but the location is in Tiberias."

With that, Archer Tristan quickly left, disappearing into the night in spiritual form. He worried about angering his Master Richard by saying too much. Frankly, he wasn't sure of this mother and son's stances. Richard had ordered all Servants not to attack Eleanor and to spare her Master Suzuki Yuki's life, but Assassin had been killed by Eleanor without warning. Richard didn't use a Command Spell to save Assassin again. The two seemed to be in opposition on the surface, perhaps just stalling for time.

Eleanor watched Archer Tristan leave her sight, then looked towards Tiberias, her expression suddenly becoming serious.

...

Suzuki had not yet begun to recall how much he remembered about Don Quixote. Based on the plot on the pages before the blank ones, it was roughly the chapter where Don Quixote meets the Knight of the Mirrors. The new chapters started after the blank pages.

As he was reflecting, Eleanor had already returned to Saladin's palace. Her ceremonial dress remained as vibrant and tidy as a blooming flower, complemented by her beautiful smile, which could easily captivate many ordinary people and make them heed her commands.

But soon, this aura, infused with magical power, quickly dissipated. Eleanor maintained her unchanged beauty, and as she gazed directly at the nobles, attendants, and soldiers, they snapped out of their trance and realized their inappropriate behavior, hurriedly averting their eyes.

Saladin was the first to notice something unusual. His gaze drifted towards Suzuki, and only after confirming nothing amiss did he feel at ease.

"Master, Archer has retreated. From my observations, the enemy Rider is also no longer outside the valley. We can consider it temporarily safe." Eleanor bypassed the others and walked to Suzuki's side, reporting the situation to him.

Suzuki did not notice the momentary anomaly when Eleanor returned. Holding a copy of Don Quixote by Aphaf, he explained to Eleanor how to restore the Alterego Don Quixote.

"Master, have you read this book? Do you remember the original text?" Eleanor didn't touch the pages but watched as Suzuki turned them. She didn't understand Spanish and could only recognize individual words that were common with Latin. Suzuki thought he was holding just a book, but in Eleanor's subconscious, the book was seen as a Servant, and her instinctive caution made her keep a distance from it.

Suzuki finally noticed some slight differences in Eleanor since she had returned; she had become more cautious, with an inexplicable sense of detachment. "I've read the English translation, probably twice, but my impression isn't very deep."

Suzuki now only wanted to quickly restore their allied Servant to create another opportunity to counterattack Richard and seize the Holy Grail, thereby thwarting his plan to create a singularity.

"Now is the perfect time; we can give it a try. Another Servant means more strength. The enemy will launch a full attack in three days, and we must prepare thoroughly for the battle."

Compared to Eleanor's support, Saladin was lost in thought. He hadn't told Suzuki and Eleanor that Richard had given him three days to consider. Reflecting on Richard's extraordinary oppressive aura at that time, Saladin suddenly understood. The important thing wasn't what would happen in three days, but what would happen during these three days. He almost got deceived by the young man's imposing manner. The more someone confidently displays their strength, the more it indicates they are avoiding a fight. Recklessly starting a battle would be like hitting a rock with an egg. Investigating what Richard was truly concerned about might bring new opportunities. Thinking of this, Saladin decisively left his seat to command his subordinates to reinforce the valley's defenses, assign religious personnel to soothe the wounded, and gather the scholars accompanying the army to assist Aphaf and Suzuki in preparing to rewrite the book.

In short, Saladin quickly left the palace with his attendants, moving out of Eleanor's sight.

Eleanor also kept a close watch on Saladin's actions until he walked out of the palace. She had neglected to dispel the power she used when she returned, which had affected the ordinary men in the palace. Previously, when she "knighted" people, she was careful not to leave traces, but this time, due to being occupied with other matters, she had been careless.

Tiberias was currently in hell, with Servants feeling uncomfortable just looking at those bubbles, let alone ordinary humans. Eleanor didn't know how her son had provoked a third-party force. Recalling her encounter with the bubble monsters repeatedly trying to descend last night still made her feel fearful. Berserker Godfrey had forcefully repelled those bubble monsters, yet less than a day later, they reappeared, this time in a densely populated city.

Eleanor wouldn't tell Suzuki about these things. She maintained her usual smile and briefly responded to Suzuki's recollection of Don Quixote. "Little girl, what's with your armor?"

Eleanor timely changed the subject. She had no interest in a satire book and didn't care whether a counter-strategy knight-type Servant like Don Quixote could truly be restored. If Don Quixote could repel the bubble monsters like Godfrey, she would naturally use her ability to forcibly grasp Spanish knowledge. However, the magical energy required for long-term use was high, and she was reluctant to do so.

Aphaf repeated her earlier speculation to Saladin and Suzuki. She suspected that before Berserker dissipated early this morning, he left the armor behind as a gift to her. Along with this, all her injuries were healed. However, the magical power consumption and difficulty in controlling a Servant's armor were not insignificant.

Incidentally, the armor also cured Aphaf of her "color blindness" caused by her Mystic Eyes. When she woke up, everything in her vision had color. She didn't notice this during her battle with Assassin, but after being brought to the palace by Eleanor's carriage, she confirmed this unexpected delight. For her, the wish she needed the Holy Grail for had already been fulfilled. Now, all that was left was to follow Saladin's orders and win this challenging Holy Grail War.

"I advise you to refrain from summoning that armor unless your life is in danger, like tonight. A Servant's Noble Phantasm is not something a human can easily handle," Eleanor said after hearing Apahf's speculation. She suspected that Berserker Godfrey would not have dissipated if he hadn't removed his armor. That grave guardian, full of strength, had laughably sacrificed himself to save Aphaf, for the sake of chivalry?

Eleanor couldn't understand his actions. It was a pity that Godfrey could no longer serve her son. If another Berserker Godfrey were defending Tiberias, many more people would have survived tonight, and her son wouldn't have needed to rush back for rescue.

Eleanor smiled and gently patted Aphaf's back, soothing her nervous tremble from speaking continuously. "That brave knight was truly remarkable. He was generous enough to aid a girl of different faith."

Suzuki continued trying to recall the contents of Chapter 12 of Don Quixote. He felt that he could fill in the seven blank pages, but when he tried to think of the specifics, he found it difficult to remember. To be safe, he didn't rush to write but instead forced himself to recall the related events when he read the book back in Chaldea.