[FDJ]Chapter 136: Hunger and Thirst

Suzuki scrutinized the elderly knight Don Quixote and suddenly realized that after restoring the book's pages, he had always consciously or unconsciously ignored this servant. He hadn't noticed anything unusual before, only now realizing that he always overlooked the presence of the other.

"Alterego, do you think I'm hiding something from you?"

Eleanor kept the chariot at its previous speed, the two magically summoned horses completely obeyed her will, subtly changing their path.

Eleanor neither got angry nor explained herself in response to the questioning. Instead, she waited for the other to continue.

"For the sake of our alliance, please explain your reasoning in detail."

Once again, Suzuki felt a blur before his eyes. This time, he saw Don Quixote holding a book, the very "Don Quixote" he had supplemented. Previously, Suzuki felt he hadn't seen the book in his hands, but now he couldn't be sure whether his first impression was accurate, as he hadn't even paid close attention to a living person, let alone a book.

But this time, Suzuki finally saw all of Don Quixote's servant information. During their last encounter, when they were pursued by bubble monsters, he could only force himself to see the first part of the Noble Phantasm and didn't see the second, and he didn't remember some of the information precisely.

By reviewing all of the hidden information, Suzuki finally had a comprehensive understanding of Alterego Don Quixote. In a normal Holy Grail War, Alterego Don Quixote would be considered flashy but impractical, and whether he could be summoned again as this special servant would be questionable. But in this special Holy Grail War, Suzuki couldn't easily conclude the compatibility of Alterego Don Quixote.

If he hadn't already seen the panel attributes, skill combinations, and overpowered Noble Phantasms of Berserker Godfrey, he might have thought Alterego Don Quixote could counter Richard's numerous knight-type servants.

"Is it polite to speak to you this way, Milady?"

Don Quixote, although not in a fantasy state, had temporarily shed the "fog" that affected others' perceptions. The unclear ability to switch between fantasy and reality, and the significant connection between Don Quixote and the book, perhaps hinted that destroying the book would be the quickest and most effective way to defeat Alterego Don Quixote.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Master, don't worry, I'm not trying to antagonize Rider Eleanor. I just want all of us in the alliance to be on the same page."

Don Quixote's statement was implausible, and he only used a reasonable excuse to indicate that his master need not worry. Then, with a more serious expression, Don Quixote declared his stance to Eleanor.

"Milady, my Master has already achieved her wish, and Saladin is merely my Master's lord. His goal no longer concerns me. We can truly cooperate."

It was hard to judge the truth immediately, but with the medieval tradition of "the lord of my lord is not my lord," Don Quixote indeed no longer needed to fulfill contractual obligations. His Master had achieved her wish and used up the three Command Spells, ending the relationship between Don Quixote, Aphaf, and Saladin.

"I don't need you to betray your faction. If you truly want to assist us, just don't cause trouble."

Eleanor could exceptionally trust her Master, but with others, it was impossible. She didn't trust herself to control Don Quixote and didn't need his ability to counter knight-type servants. She didn't want to add any further variables, as increasing anxiety would only force her into extreme measures.

Everyone knows to act rationally, but when trapped in layers of conspiracy and schemes, few can maintain their initial rational state. Even as servants with power beyond human limits and possessing extensive historical knowledge, their human essence remains unchanged, including personality, weaknesses, preferences, and obsessions—these intangible traits still exist.

Suzuki detected a sense of panic in his servant, wondering if Don Quixote's actions had surpassed Eleanor's expectations. After reviewing all the information about Don Quixote, he remained confident that his servant Eleanor was not weaker than Don Quixote. However, now his servant merely refused Don Quixote's sudden request for further cooperation, shattering the initial image of the graceful and composed queen who had driven him to Saladin's army.

"That's unfortunate, Lady Eleanor," Don Quixote said as if nothing had happened. He shifted the book back into his hand, took a step back, and quietly waited for the chariot to reach its destination. His presence suddenly diminished, and the brief interlude ended.

Suzuki did not overlook Don Quixote's proactive revelation of information. If Don Quixote turned into an enemy, Suzuki would have been surprised by the existence of such a peculiar servant without prior knowledge. Now, relying on his memory, Suzuki would immediately inform Eleanor not to pay attention to Don Quixote. When not in his fantasy state, Don Quixote had limited offensive capabilities and was a tough opponent without any extraordinary Noble Phantasms. Once switched to his fantasy state, he could be defeated in the usual manner. His flashy skills and Noble Phantasms, once their mysteries were dispelled, were not impossible to counter.

...

Outside the town of Safurieh, about 25 kilometers from the city of Tiberias, was the secret stationing point for Richard's troops. The so-called secrecy was to prevent the magically enhanced soldiers from being seen by too many people. Due to the disaster of evil beings descending upon Tiberias, Richard had dispatched three groups of troops, totaling 800 men, to the city.

Caster Asclepius was stationed there, providing intelligence support to his master Richard with his snake familiars spread throughout the area. After noticing Richard's arrival at the third leyline convergence point, two Crusader knights suddenly rushed into the tent in a panic.

The snake familiars lurking in the tent immediately hissed and blocked their path, signaling danger. In contrast, Caster gently inquired about the reason for their intrusion, as usual.

"What happened? I previously ordered you to continue your normal preparations for battle today. Our master, General Richard, will arrange for you to be on the front lines when needed," Caster explained, aware of the "minor flaws" that came with modifying human bodies with magic. While their strength and stamina were significantly enhanced, their personalities became more combative. Keeping them in constant drills indeed suppressed their desire to fight.

"Wise Sage, we are not impatient. It's just that..." One knight hesitated, glancing at his companion before continuing. "The water from the spring beneath the cross has become insufficient to quench our thirst. Some soldiers need to drink twice as much water to relieve their thirst, and a few need more than three times the amount."

Caster was also surprised, knowing these elite soldiers required magical replenishment. To reassure them, Richard had moved the most important relic from the Holy City—the True Cross—here, using the spring water infused with magic to meet their needs. It was falsely claimed that the soldiers needed to drink the holy spring water around the cross to maintain their superhuman strength, thus guarding this land with devout faith.

"How could this be..." A likely reason quickly surfaced in Caster's mind, but he couldn't immediately decide whether to inform Richard, who was drawing magical power from the underground leyline.

"Most of us participated in Mass last night and drank the spring water together. But some soldiers were patrolling the surrounding area to ensure no monsters attacked the town. They returned this morning and found their thirst hard to quench. We..." All the soldiers here were selected elites, fully equipped, and many held knight titles. The cross remained unchanged in the camp, so the spring water around it should have been consistent. Some had already accused their patrolling comrades of being corrupted by evil thoughts, losing the Lord's grace due to shaken faith.

To them, faith was paramount, which is why these two knights urgently sought Caster's help. They had witnessed Caster's miraculous medical abilities and believed he was a saint sent to General Richard by the Lord. Thus, it was best for such a saint and the general's aide to handle the situation.

Caster wasn't overly worried about the issue here; if a few extra buckets of water could replenish the magic, it wouldn't be a problem. But what about the 800 men in Tiberias? Richard had previously assured the soldiers with the reason that "the holy water stored in the church is equally effective," relying on the leyline's magic reserves in the city.

Ignoring the knights' pleas, Caster immediately checked the situation in Tiberias through his crystal ball. Indeed, after dawn, all 800 fully armed soldiers were drinking water in various churches. The clergy there had also prepared "magic-infused water" as instructed by Richard.

Caster "saw" many people drinking entire buckets of "holy water" but still crying out in thirst, trying to seize their companions' shares. Some were even attempting to bypass the clergy to drink directly from the church's well. Because he needed to monitor various areas, Caster focused most of his energy on his master Richard and did not closely observe every change.

They were not experiencing ordinary thirst or hunger; their magically modified bodies required magical replenishment. If they did not receive this magical replenishment for a prolonged period, they would weaken and die. Moreover, Caster worried that these individuals might go mad and cause destruction in the city.

"Wise Sage, please, you must go to the cross and preach to resolve their doubts," the two knights continued to urge Caster, unaware that their comrades who had previously entered the battlefield were already embroiled in an even greater conflict.

"You both leave first. I will come and address your concerns later," Caster said, dismissing the knights. He immediately contacted his master Richard and reported the situations at the Safurieh camp and in Tiberias.

After listening, Richard pondered for a long time before simply replying, "Understood."

Richard had anticipated the soldiers' "thirst" due to magical depletion, thinking the situation would be similar to that in the Safurieh camp. He had not expected Tiberias to face a sudden depletion of magical energy in the leyline overnight, making it difficult to obtain water infused with magic.

But he could not afford to worry about it now. For the sake of the highest ideal, all sacrifices were permissible.