David and Goliath

Ah, nice. I never thought I would see this land with my own eyes again.

Well, technically lots of things are different from my time, but the basics are there.

Wonderful scenery. Fertile land worth tilling.

And I am standing on said land. This must be divine providence.

That once again...no. If it's completely the same, a terrible war will follow. Better to say "anew," I think.

That a temple will be built here anew...one that is sure to have great influence over the world.

Specifically, new wealth and riches. Don't you agree, beautiful lady?

Um...

In my later years, I was beset by war. Constructing a temple had become a distant dream of mine.

But it turns out I didn't need to mourn over such thing! All right! I'm getting pumped up!

After all, I'm incorrigible! I would do it multiple times should I have the opportunity!

I may not have resurrected, and I may be just one of many Heroic Spirits. However, I am still me. I am David, a servant of God.

In that case, I think it only be natural for me to build a temple. However... I am in quite a bind.

I certainly have motive and opportunity, but I lack one thing.

Do you know what that is, Fujimaru? Oh, the Doctor can also answer.

？！

(Sigh) ...You don't have to think too hard on it, Fujimaru.

He's up to his usual nonsense. He wants to say that a considerable price must be paid for his work.

Of course! I am a conservationist, and also a realist!

I want you to remember this, Master.

If you want to show how cool you are, it would be a waste if there was no audience (read: beautiful women) watching your little demonstration.

This is extremely important.

It's important to bank good deeds unnoticed, but God's great work must reach and be known to the masses!

Y-yes that may be true...but is that why you want to build a temple?

Of course it is. By singing the glory of God, my merits will be acknowledged. If I build the temple, good fortune is sure to follow.

In the end, this is for the sake of the citizens. But putting that aside...

I had a sneaking suspicion...but now it's been confirmed. You are Abishag... Yes, you are indeed Abishag!

Huh?

Show me your lovely face, Abishag. Ah...look at those thoughtful eyes and your vibrant spirituality.

Your hairstyle and body are completely different, but no matter. The way you stand so devotedly...your teenage looks...

You are, without question, Abishag! You must have manifested after you heard of my great feats!

U-um, David. I keep trying to tell you... Senpai, please say something...

？！

Hm? Is Fujimaru this girl's chosen love?

...What a disappointment. I know there is no lie in Fujimaru's words. So it must be true...

How sad... So she is not Abishag... Damn. I thought for sure she was Abishag...

Ah, King David. A man who never once questions his own thoughts and delusions. Yep, that's him for you.

Please refrain from hitting on Mash, subtly or otherwise.

Try to remember that Abishag was the beautiful young woman who served you in your later years. Mash is not her.

Ah, but I disagree. The dead can exist in this world, even without being resurrected. That miracle has already happened, as you know!

So it wouldn't be any surprise if Abishag was here too. Am I brazen to wish so? No, don't you think I'm quite humble in that sense?

Umm...

Fou...

Ah...King David's own successes led him to believe with absolute conviction that this would continue forever. That's King David for you.

If you materialized and Rayshifted without actual business, I ask that you come back.

Honestly, Rayshifting isn't free. Activating it once costs about one staff member's salary!

But I do have business. Don't you always say we can't waste energy? Well, I agree on that front.

So let's get a move on, Fujimaru.

You're going somewhere? I thought you came here just to look at the mountainous landscape...

That's partly true. My primary role was out on that vast ocean, if you recall.

And that is why I wanted to once again see the world that you saved with my own eyes.

So now that that wish had been granted, all I have to do is my job as a Servant.

My business is in that wasteland. There are obviously enemies, so be careful.

Enemies? Are they survivors from the Lion King's reign?

Haha. Those aren't my enemies. If we're talking about the enemies before I became king...there can be only one!

A giant.

A giant? I'm fairly certain there is no such creature in 13th century Jerusalem.

Of course there is. That's why I'm here.

(What happened to the conversation about a temple...?)

(You're right... David was talking about constructing one...)

Obviously, building a temple is still on my mind, but I'm passing that up this time!

Abishag's not here! There's no reason to play it cool without my audience!

Okay, now I'm curious: what was on your mind when you were living and doing your stuff!?

Haha. Well, I'll give the glory of temple-building to someone who's good at that sort of thing.

I want to show off my abilities to Fujimaru by doing what I'M best at!

People might think of giants as their own species, but that's not necessarily the case.

Phantasmal giants, as opposed to the actual species themselves, are first and foremost a representation of savagery. A power to be feared.

They are in more or less human form, yet not human. They are like gods, but not.

Oh, the term "god" I use here refers to deities of polytheism, not to the great and divine being I serve.

A being that is not human, but is human. And furthermore, very powerful.

A being that is savage. A being that defies. For exampleOh, look over there. Yes, that's about right. Something like that.

Magical energy response up ahead!

Fooou!

Let me see, a large humanoid... A spriggan!? Those are only created through magecraft!

？！

Got it. Waiting for your commands, Master!

Now let's go giant hunting. It's been a while!

Battle completed. All spriggans have been defeated.

What an impoverished bunch of giants... I had hoped they carried better treasure than this...

Heroic Spirits who hunt dragons have it nice. Dragons are super rich and hoard a bunch of treasure!

You can go ahead and ignore what that old man's saying, Fujimaru!

A second wave is coming your way! Be careful, there's more of them this time!

Hey! Don't call me an old man! That's rude! Call me big brother...or even gramps!

Yeah, yeah, got it, big brother! If that's what you want, then quit acting like an old man!

Ah, got it! I pride myself in looking young no matter how old I am.

...But you're right. There's a ton of them. It's like a giant army of...giants. Could this be a reenactment of some myth?

Honestly, this feels a little staged. King David, does that ring a bell for you?

You know the saying "there's a Jack for every Jill." Hm, that doesn't sound right. Um, "tit for tat"?

To cut to the chase, they're all priced as fit. After all, I'm the "giant killer."

And that means the world would pretty much assemble a bunch of giant beings to greet me.

Those beings have come to defeat me, even as I'm here to beat the crap out of them!

？！

I know. It's really not a great connection to have, though.

Like girls that are taller than me... Honestly, they're not my type...

Multiple golems incoming! There seems to be more of them than last time!

Ah. I suppose we don't have time to talk about my tastes. You know, I'm not really liking this arbitrary ambush either...

They may be giants, but if they still have some intellect, I'm going to give them a talking-to. Hey you, you have the right to reform yourself.

While I'm bashing you with this rockfour times, mind youI am open to discussion. One. Two. Three. Four.

I see. Then you leave me with no choice! In service of a just cause, even the meek can slay a giant!

Allow me to demonstrate with this small rock!

I think it's about time we got to the boss.

Thanks to you, this Singularity was corrected, so the land should have returned to its natural state.

But somehow, an army of giants has invaded, come to destroy this blessed land.

And when considering who must be leading them...

？！

...Golyat. Otherwise known as Goliath. The giant soldier who fought against the Israelites.

The battle between David and Golyat is a legend written in the Book of Samuel, but you're currently in the 13th century. So, that means...

He's probably not the real Golyat. If he was real, things would have been much worse.

This is a reenactment of the legend. It must be symbolic in some way.

And that's why I'm here. I'm here as the real, soon-to-be king of the unified Kingdom of Israel.

Which means the Golyat we should soon meet will probably be close to the real

...He's here! See, it's the giant!

...Um, hold on. That's not really a giant...

It's a giant ghost...and a demonic boar...and a dragon?

Yeah, well all three of them have AOE attacks...and you could make the case that each of them is a giant...

I expected that!

Yeah. Big things would do AOE attacks. Pretty much common sense in my world.

？！

Oh, so that's why this king specializes in having skills to protect his allies! I thought he had those skills to protect his sheep...

Eh? They're all the same. I mean, if you guide them properly...

Uwwwaaah, stop! Stop! I don't want to hear another word!

Fooou!

U-um, please command us, Master!

？！

Roger that. Commencing battle!

(Pant, pant, pant) The dragon, demonic boar, and giant ghost have all been annihilated. End of battle.

There's something missing to call this a reenactment of the myth, but I guess I completed my duties.

Now the restoration of this age will continue without incident. Ahh, I'm beat.

Yeah... I feel like I'm more exhausted than usual.

All thanks to King David.

Yeah, I'll sleep like a log today.

I think I'll warm my feet while I listen to Magi☆Mari's relaxing playlist and have myself a nice peaceful sleep...

？！

Good idea. Now, Rayshift us back, Doctor.

I'll put my plans to build a temple off till next time. My goal was to show off my cool side here today.

The giant killer David fighting as a Heroic Spirit rather than as a king. If it makes a good memory for you, that's enough for me.

King David?

Oh, nothing. I can't believe I let something like that slip out.

...And since we went through that with you before, I was compelled to ask this question:

"David, did you know from the beginning?"

Hmmm, I don't know. That Rayshift trip was so long ago.

I don't really remember. But I'll answer your question, Abishag.

No, I didn't know. Honestly, I had no way of seeing it.

I may have figured out the identity of the King of Mages, but nothing beyond that.

When I saw him from afar in Chaldea, I thought to myself:

"That man has absolutely no freedom." I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was, but I could tell from his expression.

But he was different from my recollection of the man without freedom. The way he lacked it... He had chosen of his own free will to give it up.

So I chose not to think about it. I didn't intervene. That was all.

As David spoke, I could see the sadness in his smile, but also...pride.

The way David acted toward Roman...the straightforward approach, so much so that some might call it cold...that was the best and only way he could honestly, sincerely communicate as the man he was.

...Yes, and that's why I think...

I am so glad that I did not notice anything behind their petty banter.

The great, ancient kings... They may not have ever demonstrated any connection, but that they had one was beyond question.