Fighting for Someone

Welcome back, Senpai!

Welcome back, everyone! Great job out there!

I can see the minute Singularity shrinking even as we speak. That's one less to worry about.

Me too.

Hmph, that was so easy I didn't even need to bother going! Hahaha!

But don't forget my tribute, all right? I don't have to tell you what you need to bring me so I'll spare your life, do I?

Heh heh heh, you'd better not ever forget I'm an oni! You can't just go ordering me around so easily!

The moment you drop your guard, I'll eat your head and use your intestines to floss out any bits of skull that get stuck between my fangs. Don't forget that.

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Mwahaha, so you do know your place! Not bad!

...Anyway, hurry up and do something about that one. She's been acting weird and it's bugging me.

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...Have you noticed, Master?

I was watching while we were in battle, and she was far less active than usual.

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Florence Nightingale.

I've never seen her be so passive in battle before. I did not notice any affliction or wound that might explain it.

There may be something wrong with her Spirit Origin. We should treat her at once.

You should let Da Vinci know about this, just in case.

What are you talking about?

I was? In that last battle?

...That's right. Twice, there was an enemy right in front of you, and you didn't lift a finger to attack them.

You would not normally allow yourself to be so passive. Are you aware you were acting like that?

... ...

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean. It's not my job to fight. I'm a nurse, not a soldier.

Though of course, that doesn't mean I won't fight should it become necessary.

There may well be times when I'm pinned down, unable to reach relief supplies right in front of me.

So in circumstances like that...

...I'm sure I would do whatever was necessary to remove the obstacles in my way.

If it came down to it, I would have no hesitation about drawing a gun and pulling the trigger. Of that, I'm certain.

But...

...enemy or not, to do that would be to cause injury with my own hands.

And nothing could be further from what I want.

Listen, Commander, that others think of me as a small army unto myself does not make me an officer.

I'm not here because I want to win wars. All I want is for the fighting to stop.

I...

I want to save lives.

As long as I can do that, I don't care about the rest...

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...(Gasp!)

Nnn, I can't remember how I got here. Weren't we just fighting golems?

Are we back in Chaldea now? We are, aren't we? What have I been doing...?

You were telling us how you aren't a soldier. That is certainly true, of course, but... Hmm.

I knew it. Something is wrong with her Spirit Origin, Master.

I see.

Yes, I must not be feeling well. I will go rest.

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Nightingale!?

...Are you listening to me, Florence?

Yes. I'm listening.

We were just talking about the front line's medical supply situation. I need your help, Sidney.

Oh for... I knew it! You aren't listening to me at all, Florence! Do you even realize where you are!?

This is London! The capital of the entire British Empire! You aren't on the battlefield anymore, Florence.

But it's clear to me that your heart is still there. Just look at you.

I can't believe you're wearing an army uniform. You don't even work for them...

I won't ask what happened while you were there, but this is London, Florence. London.

Do you understand? You can't go around behaving like this.

...I dress this way for a reason.

You may find it strange. Maybe it is strange. But I'm fighting too, just like those soldiers.

I'll never stop fighting against the illness and injury plaguing our world. This uniform is more than appropriate for that.

You'll never stop fighting...?

That's right.

Ahh...

Don't do this to yourself anymore, Florence. Please. I'm begging you.

You haven't been the Angel of Crimea for a long time now. You don't have to keep fighting any longer.

It's time to focus on your own life now. What about... What about marriage?

Sidney?

What in the world are you talking about? You know nobody can get married on their own.

...That's not what I mean, and you know it.

How long are you going to keep pretending not to know?

I haven't been helping solely out of the goodness of my heart, Florence. Everything I've done has been for you...

For years now, I...

I've always lo

I see.

I always thought your way of life was...bizarre, but now, you've started seeing cracks in your own facade.

Heh. Fascinating.

But...I'm not about to let you dig your own grave.

You have horrid taste in hobbies.

Do you always go around spying on women while they're sleeping?

...Hmph.

Most Servants don't sleep at all, let alone dream.

That you are here, now, doing both makes plain that something is wrong with your Spirit Origin.

... ...

Generally speaking, all of Chaldea's Servants are linked to Master. It's no wonder that sometimes lines may get a little blurred.

How dare you say that to me?

Something like this has happened to you before, hasn't it?

That wasn't me. It was Fujimaru who...

Yes. It has.

Nice to see you be direct about it.

It's clear what is going on here. There's no point in denying it.

...I must be mentally injured.

Heroic Spirits...

...are usually created when a human being ascends beyond their humanity. At this point, they have yet to be assigned a class.

For one thing, the very concept of classes only arose as a byproduct of the Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual.

Naturally, Chaldea's summoning system follows the same principles, typically assigning each Heroic Spirit one of the seven classes.

But there are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Most potential problems can be avoided if there is an appropriate Extra class to which the Heroic Spirit can be assigned...

...but there may also be times when a Heroic Spirit is forced into a class for which they may not be fully suited.

Such cases can certainly become cause for distortion of one sort of another.

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...The Ms. Nightingale we know is a Berserker.

She is clearly a fighter, with her struggles to save lives as a nurse now manifesting in more literal terms.

But is that who she truly is? Was she always so obstinate during her life as a human woman?

Or is the fierce devotion we see in her a caricature of her true self, exaggerated to fit her Berserker class?

If the latter, she will continue to strain her mind and Spirit Origin for the length of her materialization.

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N-not necessarily!

I know that in my case, I never felt like I was under any strain.

So maybe it's similar for

As a Demi-Servant, Ms. Kyrielight, your circumstances are even more unusual.

Thus, I'm afraid your argument may not hold much water in this case.

Ugh, not again, Holmes. You really can be kind of a twat sometimes, you know that?

Can I now?

You don't have to put it like that. Summoning a Heroic Spirit with a mind of their own has always been a huge deal.

And it's especially difficult to maintain a contract with a Berserker. This is KNOWN.

...It makes no difference to me.

Let's go, Fujimaru.

Wha

Take care of his body, girl. Er, Mash Kyrielight.

W-wait! What are you talking about, Count!?

Ah! Senpai!

Ah, Mr. Fujimaru! Excellent timing!

Please, would you say something to Florence? I can't seem to get through to her myself.

But maybe she'll listen to you, since you're one of her colleagues.

Go on! Please, say something!

... ...

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You are seeing her mind as it is now. Normally you would only see this in your dreams.

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That's right.

Are you all right, Mr. Fujimaru? Your eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment.

Please, you have to talk to Florence. She needs to rest up and return to her normal life.

She only just got back from the war, and she's still intent on fighting. She can't keep going like this.

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He's nobody.

Remember, she's a Berserker. Most of her rational mind was sealed away when she materialized.

Ordinary people could never keep the fires of battle raging in their hearts at all times, but that's not the case for Berserkers.

However, that of course comes at a cost.

There's something that builds up deep down inside Berserkers over time.

Especially in the ones who still speak with some semblance of sanity!

... ...

It becomes twisted, warped, distorted. At times, it can even manifest.

Sometimes, it appears as a monster who wants nothing more than to follow its destructive impulses and lay waste to everything around it...

...and sometimes, it embodies reason in the shape of an old friend!

She needs to rest now. She shouldn't push herself anymore.

Come now, Florence, think about it. There's no reason to do this to yourself.

Don't you agree, Mr. Fujimaru!?

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Of course I am!

So she should stop this right

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What was that...?

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What!?

... ...

...So that's your wish, Fujimaru?

Very well then, I accept your request. I will return to the battlefield to save as many lives as I can.

If helping those in need requires me to do violence, then so be it.

Good grief. I guess you're no better than me in some ways, Commander.

Your desire to remain on the battlefield with me can't be healthy. I must cure you of it...some day.

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I see your appearance has changed. Not bad.

So it has. I didn't mean for my hair to come undone...but perhaps it suits who I am now.

If I'm to embrace my Berserker self...then I must admit this is who I am.

A wild woman, hair untamed, saving every life she can without regard for her own safety.

This is who I truly am right now.

All right then, Commander. No...Master. First, I'll need your help with something.

The temporary excision of this fragment of rationality masquerading as an old friend.

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Good. Very well then...

Start the treatment!!!

Good morning. ...I see you have more or less awoken on schedule today.

It's been a week since your last morning exam, so I'd like you to come to the infirmary for a follow-up.

Mash Kyrielight is already on standby there, so do try to hurry.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

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Yes?

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Yes, it is a good morning.

...Thank you again for fighting by my side, Master.