At the Amazon Village

Master, keep your head down before they see us!

Hurry up! You really are a good-for-nothing scum, aren't you!?

Aah! I-I'm sorry... Please, no more lashes!

Don't you dare tell me what to do. You belong to me! You're in no position to talk back OR make requests!

Aah! Aaah! I-I'm sorry. P-please, forgive me, mistress!

Hmph, pitiful. It must be hard, keeping such useless livestock, hm?

Y-yes, mistress. Me, I understand very well that I'm only to do what I'm told and nothing more.

Take that, and that! Mmm, the whip is fine and all, but there's nothing like punishing the little beasts by hand.

I can't get enough ofEh? Damn, looks like I killed him.

Well, no matter. I'll just get another spare out of the cage. I'll need a sturdier one for next time.

Wha...What's going on here!?

？！

...Yeah. The only people walking around freely are Amazons.

The men are all being dragged around in chains... They're prisoners or something...

I've never seen women so strong and fearsome before. And it looks like they control the whole village.

Now I finally understand what that one Amazon meant by "stray man."

It seems they've taken the men here as property.

That must be why it was so surprising for them to see one walking around of his own volition.

Aha. So that's why they panicked and attacked you when they saw Fergus.

I mean, I can only guess whether it was the sort of concern they'd have about seeing a dangerous wild animal out of its cage...

...or if they were hoping to slap some chains on him and bring him back here for whatever THIS is...

I doubt they saw me as anything like a wild beast. Sad as it may be, I can't imagine myself being capable of harming them.

Heh, that's funny. The Fergus we know would be awfully excited to face Amazons!

He'd probably just say something like, "Every woman is beautiful in her own way. Is there a problem?"

I-I see... So this other me wouldn't even flinch in this situation. I admire his fortitude.

I hope I can be like that one day. I wonder what it would take...

I guess it all comes down to my daily training regimen. Maybe if I double the number of Celtic push-ups...

At any rate, it is abundantly clear that we cannot blend into this environment.

Ordinarily, Amazons may not pose much of a threat, but with these numbers, matters are different.

We should make our way out of here for now before anyone

What the!? Hey, this man isn't in chains!

Eee, they found us!

Has another wild man fallen from the sky!?

No, wait. Look how the others with him are dressed. They could be scouts! Be careful!

Scouts...?

Damn. They just keep coming.

There really is no worse scenario for a spy on an infiltration mission to end up in.

If one of my subordinates or colleagues ever asked me what to do if they found themselves in this situation...

...I would tell them to shout "Vive la France" at the top of their lungs and swallow their cyanide capsule.

Heeey, we're not spies right now. We're Fujimaru's proud Servants.

We can take 'em! We can take a town full of Amazons with our eyes closed!

But of course. That much goes without saying.

Fergus, you stick to keeping Master safe again!

Okay... Sorry I can't be of more help...

Come on, let's do this thing! If we lose, it's curtains I mean, chains for all of us!

Course, knowing me, I bet I'd look super good in chains! But let's not find out!

Well, that takes care of that.

Ngh...!

You still have hostiles in your area. Please stay alert and

W-wait! This reading!

...What is all this commotion?

...! You...

Your Majesty!

Majesty? As in queen? And, her aura...

Fou! Fooou!

...A Servant! Senpai, that woman there is a Servant!

Your Majesty, I

Enough. I am no fool.

I can see for myself that more rabble have come to taint our bravery, our honor.

You there. Who are you?

？！

Oho? I applaud your candor.

Then I would have you tell me who sent you and where you came from.

The decadent water city? The dazzling city of trash? Or are you with that band of stray dogs that have been yapping so ceaselessly of late?

？！

You dare refuse to answer a queen!?

Hooboy, she just did a backflip off the handle!

She seems a little young to be a queen...but she's certainly imposing enough.

She is clearly accustomed to standing above others and issuing commands. She's nothing like my queen, though.

So this is a queen! She may not look the part, but even a young oaf like me can sense her regal bearing!

Don't look the part? Of course not. That is precisely why I appear this way.

...?

No matter. Who you are is of no consequence. My task remains the same.

You must pay for this humiliation. You WILL pay for this humiliation!

You rabble are impudent but fortunate, and yet so terribly unlucky.

Rejoice, for I shall show you your place with mine own hands.

You can regale Hades with the tale of your bravery once I have sent you to the underworld!

Wha...! The enemy Servant is about to attack! Watch out for the Amazons she's brought with her, too!

Wh-what a vicious weapon! All we can do is try to avoid it!

Master, I've determined her class! She's a Berserker!

Makes sense, given how ridiculously powerful she is!

No fair! She can talk properly! But, I guess there are lotsa other Berserkers like that back in Chaldea!

...Up to this very moment I thought you no more than immature halfwits.

You should be proud to have survived this long against me, heroes. Your bravery and prowess are commendable.

...With the exception of that craven weakling who refused even to defend himself.

...

Don't worry, Fergus. You made the right choice.

I am sorry to say that as you are now, you would not stand a chance against her.

Now, speak plainly, Berserker. Do you wish to insult us, or compliment us?

Say whatever you want, but I have always been a proud Heroic Spirit.

Yeah! I may be immature, but you better believe we've ALL got the brave hero thing going on.

I'm Astolfo, one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne! Wait, what's the difference between a paladin and a hero again?

You are indeed strong. That much we approve of.

I've changed my mind. You shall no longer pay for our humiliation with your lives.

Instead, we shall take you as slaves.

？！

Of course. The men among you in particular should serve us well by providing us with strong offspring.

...!

You speak as though the men are no more than tools for reproduction.

Of course, fool... I speak of them that way because that is exactly what they will be.

Naturally, your cooperation is not a factor.

You will be told where to go, what to do, and you will be made to obey, one way or the other.

Sheesh, talk about living up to an Amazonian cliché.

Fujimaru, now that we know what the enemy is up to, you should make a temporary retreat.

Even if they don't mean to kill you now, you REALLY don't want them catching you.

Yeah, but what exactly are we supposed to do!?

There are a great number of foot soldiers here, and more coming as we speak!

？！

You have no chance. Your only choice now is to accept your fates and submit to our control, or

Your Majesty...!

What is it? Can you not see that I am busy?

It's him! He's just appeared in the neighboring town!

...! I see. That means... Then...

I'll kill him! Killhimkillhim! KILL HIM! KIIILL HIIIM!!!

!?

At last! I'll kill him! I'll finally kill him! Without fail! Again and again! I'll smash him, crush him, squash him, break him, strangle him! I'LL RIP HIM APART!!!

...Let's go. You'll see! I'm coming to kill you now, now, NOW!!!

Y-your Majesty! Wait! What do we do about them!?

Dammit! Half of you, go with the queen! The other half, stay and capture them!

Well that escalated quickly. She just went full Berserker and ran off!

What's going on!?

I don't know, but we now have far fewer foes to deal with, and no Servant. Now's our chance!

I'll do everything I can to help you out! Please make it through this, everyone!

Weeell, they're not super tough! Buuut there's a crapload of 'em, even though half left!

Please keep going, Astolfo. You're almost in the clear!

Damn. I just can't bring myself to slay a woman. That said...

I might be the king of Ulster someday. I refuse to be branded a coward or weakling!

I'll never give up. I'll keep on training, and I'll keep making progress, no matter what!

Aha! I thought I heard someone talking sense!

I'm picking up a new reading in your vicinity! Please be on your guard, Master!

...? What's that sound!?

Don't worry men, we outnumber them! Attack!

Yeaaah!

It's the Resistance! Of all the times for them to show up!

You guys still alive?

If you are, then don't give up. As long as you don't, most things'll work out in some form or another!

So, uh...I guess this is the cavalry or something?

We don't have time to fret. Master, we should cooperate with these men and take down the remaining Amazons!

Phew, finally.

...Confirmed, the battle is now over. The threat the Amazons posed appears to have been neutralized.

Of course, there's now the matter of this mysterious group of men.

Hm? That sounded like the voice of a pretty young girl to me. Long-range transmission, is it? Huh... Handy.

Ah, don't worry about it. We had business here anyway.

The only reason you all got what you wanted is because you didn't give up on getting it.

No point in pretending otherwise. You ought to be proud about what you fought for.

That may be true, but, um...may I ask who you all are?

？！

An Amazon referred to you as the Resistance...

We never set out to call ourselves that, but if that's what they're calling us, I guess that's what we are.

Look, Master. They're freeing the imprisoned men.

？！

It's not just them. This whole place has become extremely unfriendly to men in general.

If we're fighting back against anything, I guess it's the very status quo of this land.

It seems we may have finally met someone who can tell us more about what's going on here.

Master, I suggest we start by asking this man some questions.

Fine by me, but let's change venues first.

Neutral zone or not, this is still Amazon territory. We'd best escape before that terrifying queen of theirs shows.

Besides, we need to tend to the men we just freed. Come on, let's head back to our hideout.

Me too. I must admit, I love that it sounds like a place filled with meat and liquor.

What, you don't think I'm actually gonna tell you that smack in the middle of enemy territory, do you? Don't worry, I'll show you the way.

？！

Very well then, we'll be glad to take you up on your invitation.

But before we do, I have to make sure: you're a Servant too, right?

Yeah. Rider. All I know is that I was somehow summoned here. I'm afraid I can't tell you my True Name.

...It's all right. I understand why you'd be wary of us, since we've only just met.

Oh, no, it's not that at all. I mean I really CAN'T tell you what it is.

For some reason, I don't have a single memory of my life.

!?

Naturally, I can't use my Noble Phantasm either. All I know is my class.

So just go ahead and call me Rider.

Rider of the Resistance, if you like. That'll do for now.