Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 939 - : Saber, Answering the Call

The warehouse.

The Emiya family's warehouse.

The Emiya house was an old-fashioned Japanese estate, steeped in history, and its durability was nothing compared to modern reinforced concrete buildings.

Although Kiritsugu had restored the warehouse extensively when it was to be used as a hiding place for Irisviel, that was ten years ago. Since the end of the last Holy Grail War, the warehouse had mostly been used to store various rarely used items, and it was only opened a handful of times each year. Kiritsugu had never thought to repair it again.

Years of exposure to the elements had made the already not-so-sturdy warehouse fragile. Perhaps one more high-magnitude earthquake would have rendered it unusable, requiring a complete rebuild.

But now, there was no need to wait for an earthquake—Illya had fallen from the sky, crashing through the roof, taking out half a wall, two shelving units, and more than a dozen storage boxes.

After finally shaking off the impact and stopping her tumble, Illya wobbled as she stood up. Though her tight-fitting dress appeared thin, it was constantly surrounded by an A-rank magical barrier, providing protection equivalent to that of the toughest armor.

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Even though this magical armor couldn't fully withstand the giant's terrifying strength, it had absorbed much of the impact, leaving Illya with only minor injuries—unlike the other three people who could no longer even stand.

Shaking off her dizziness, Illya instinctively gripped her magic wand tightly and looked through the hole she had made in the warehouse wall. The giant stood just outside, holding its massive axe-sword. It seemed as though it was retrieving the weapon it had thrown earlier, giving Illya a brief moment of respite.

The terrifying giant advanced step by step, its enormous feet making loud thumping noises as they struck the ground in the backyard. The already dilapidated warehouse shook even more violently due to the tremors, and Illya's heart sank to rock bottom.

Was she going to die?

Am I... going to die?

Mom, Dad, Mommy Maiya, Sister Taiga, Teacher Justeaze, Shinji... Am I going to die?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"■■■■■■■■■■■■────!"

The giant's roar, mixed with gunfire, echoed in Illya's mind.

The woman with the dual pistols hadn't given up—she was still relentlessly firing at the giant, trying to divert its attention and buy time for Illya to escape.

However, this time, the giant didn't turn around. Its wild, chaotic eyes, heavy footsteps, and thunderous roars were all fixated on Illya as if it wouldn't rest until the seemingly weakest yet most resilient girl was completely crushed.

The fear of death once again crept into Illya's heart.

I don't want to die!

I don't want to die!

I haven't grown up yet.

I haven't gone to school yet.

I haven't seen Mommy Maiya's child yet.

I still want to live with Mom and Dad.

I still want to protect this home.

How can I die just like this?!

Illya, a girl as pure as an Edelweiss flower, had wishes that were equally innocent and simple.

And because of her innocence and simplicity, her desire became incredibly strong—so strong that it could drive a power that transcended magecraft, so strong that it could awaken a new miracle.

There was light.

A soft light appeared on the ground beneath Illya's feet, spreading out in a radiant display, dispelling the darkness.

The light stole away her sight and stopped her thoughts.

It was as if the world had been halted by some mystical force.

The roars, the gunfire, even the giant's approaching footsteps—all of it felt distant.

Illya just stood there, staring blankly.

She watched as a familiar figure emerged from the dazzling light, a figure that, with just a swing of their arm, repelled the giant—the monster that had pushed her, her mother, and the two women who had come to save her, to the brink of death.

The frozen world resumed its flow.

The wind was strong that day.

The clouds parted, and the moon peeked out for just a moment.

The silver moonlight shone into the warehouse, illuminating the figure of a young girl dressed in knightly armor, as if from a dream.

The girl turned around, her gemstone-like eyes gazing at Illya with clarity and focus.

"Servant Saber, I have answered your call. Now, let me ask you—are you my Master?"

The girl's dignified voice instantly awakened Illya's distant memories. It was from ten years ago before they had moved away from Fuyuki. One night, her parents had brought home a blonde girl, and that girl had also been called Saber. She had even held Illya in her arms.

Although the girl in Illya's memory hadn't worn armor, and her face was a bit blurry, the clear, emerald eyes and the lock of hair sticking up on top of her head were the same.

Illya had a strong feeling that this knightly girl was the same person her parents had brought home ten years ago.

"Saber..."

"Yes."

The knightly girl smiled gently, just as she had when she held Illya all those years ago.

"Saber, I'm Illya, Illyasviel, the daughter of Kiritsugu and Irisviel!"

"Kiritsugu and Irisviel's..."

Saber's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, clearly recalling the events of the past.

"You remember? So you are that Saber."

Illya's face brightened with joy. "Saber, please save my mom! She's... she's seriously hurt."

"What? Berserker!"

Saber's expression immediately changed upon hearing this, and she followed Illya's pointing finger. Sure enough, she saw a familiar figure lying in the rubble.

However, unlike Illya, who had been sheltered by her parents and lacked combat experience, Saber remained calm. After carefully sensing for a moment, she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, we're not too late. Illya, don't worry. Listen to me—if you do exactly as I say, Irisviel will be fine."

"Really?"

Illya's eyes lit up with hope.

"What do I need to do?"

"Go to your mother's side, and take out the object buried within your body. Place it over Irisviel's wounds, and she will be saved."

"An object? Inside my body? But... I don't know of any such thing," Illya said, looking confused.

"Kiritsugu or Irisviel must not have told you, but that's okay. You should be able to sense it now. It's something that connects you, me, and your parents."

Hearing Saber's words, Illya closed her eyes and began searching her body with her magic circuits, trying to find the object Saber was talking about.

Soon, she "saw" it—something that didn't belong to her, something foreign.

It was a scabbard, a combination of gold and blue, just like Saber's golden hair and blue dress. In the center of the scabbard were inscriptions that Illya didn't understand.

These inscriptions lit up due to the connection between her and Saber, and the entire scabbard seemed to rejoice at Saber's presence.

This object was originally Saber's. It was the bond between the Emiya family and her.