The Daily Life Before the Great Holy Grail War - Awakening, Onions, and the First Pain

Cold. That was the first thing Jīku felt. The stone floor against his back was cold as ice, his fingertips numb and dull. He opened his eyes to a dim ceiling—gray stone stacked upon gray stone, black stains spreading here and there. (Where... am I?) He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't cooperate. His arms trembled. His breathing was shallow. The slightest movement sent a sharp pain through his chest. Jīku looked at his own hands. Slender fingers. Pale skin. On the back of his left hand, a red pattern floated. He didn't know what it was supposed to be. But somehow, he understood that it was part of his body. He touched the nape of his neck. There was a small brand there. When he traced it with his finger, he felt a slight raised edge. It seemed to be some kind of number—a string of digits and letters. It felt like proof that he was a "thing," and Jīku let his hand drop. He stared at the stains on the ceiling. (What left those marks?) Thinking about it brought no answers. In the first place, even the boundary between what he knew and what he didn't was blurred. What he did know was that this was underground. No windows, damp air. From somewhere far off, he could hear the sound of dripping water. Drip, drip—a steady rhythm. Jīku tried again, slowly, to sit up. His arms shook. His breath caught. Still, he braced himself against the wall and stood. His legs wobbled. (Can I walk?) One step. On the second, his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the stone floor. It hurt. He'd hit his knee. For the first time, Jīku became aware of the sensation of pain. "...It hurts." A voice came out. His own voice, yet it sounded like someone else's. That was when it happened. "Ahhhh! There you are, there you are, there you are!" A bright voice echoed through the underground chamber. Jīku looked up to see someone come bounding down the stone steps. Bouncing, almost—light, springy footsteps. Fluffy pink hair. Amber eyes. A small frame in a black rider's outfit. A slender sword at the hip. "Ah, thank goodness! Found you, found you!" The figure planted himself in front of Jīku and grinned wide. "You okay? Can you stand?" "...Who are you?" "I'm Asutorufo! Rider of Black! You're a homunculus, right?" Homunculus. The moment he heard that word, something twisted painfully in Jīku's chest. (Ah. Right. I'm a homunculus.) A disposable being, created as a mana source. A consumable prepared by the Yggdmillennia family for the Great Holy Grail War. Jīku remembered. The dark tank. The body connected to tubes. Dozens of faces just like his own, floating in rows. And the terror of waking to a sense of self. The memory of running away. "...Why are you here?" "Huh? Why? Because I was looking for you!" "Looking for...?" "Because you up and disappeared on me! I searched the whole castle—every last corner! Oh, but this place is underground, so it was kinda dark and scary, though!" Asutorufo said this and stuck out his tongue. Jīku was confused. (He was looking for me? Why? I'm just a homunculus, a traitor who ran away, and...) "Here, grab my hand!" Asutorufo held out his hand. It was small. But it looked so warm. Jīku hesitated, then took it. Asutorufo pulled him up with a firm tug. He was strong—surprisingly so for such a small frame. "All right! Let's go! Let's get out of this damp, gloomy place!" "...Go where?" "Where? Into the castle, of course! I've got your room all ready!" "My... room." "Yep! I decided it myself! Starting today, you're my best friend!" Best friend. Jīku couldn't quite swallow what that word meant. Best friend. Close friend. Friend. Him, and this bright-eyed Rider? "...Why?" "Huh? Why what?" "Why save me? I'm a worthless homunculus. A disposable mana source, made to be—" "Stop right there!" Asutorufo cut him off sharply and poked Jīku's forehead with his finger. "You've been saying weird stuff this whole time! I'm helping you because I want to help you! Isn't that enough?" "But—" "But but but, but but but, but but but—shut up! I don't get complicated stuff! I like you, so starting today, you're my best friend! Decided!" Jīku had nothing left to say. Asutorufo's logic was a mess. It wasn't a reason at all. And yet, somehow, that messiness felt good. "...All right." "Great! Let's go! Watch your step on the stairs!" Still holding Jīku's hand, Asutorufo climbed the stone steps. Jīku staggered along behind him. His legs shook. His breath came short. His heart ached. But his hand was being held. A warm hand. And for some reason, that was deeply reassuring. Brought to a room in the castle, Jīku squinted against the light pouring through the window. It was dazzling. Light that hadn't existed underground. White, soft, warm. "This is your room! It's small, but bear with it!" The room really was small. A bed, a little desk, a chair. A thin curtain over the window. But compared to that stone floor underground, it was heaven. Jīku approached the window and looked outside. The mountains of Romania stretched on forever. Deep green forest. Snow-capped peaks in the distance. Blue sky. White clouds. "...It's beautiful." "Right? This is Trifas Castle! The Yggdmillennia family's headquarters! It's super huge—you could get lost in here!" Trifas Castle. The Yggdmillennia family. Those names were carved into Jīku. The place he was made. The place he was kept. The place he escaped. "Hey, what's your name?" "...Name." Jīku traced the brand on his neck with his finger. "I only have a number. A name is..." "Whaaat! Then let's decide one right now! I'll pick for you!" "You will?" "Yep! Let's see... Jīku! Jīku's a good one!" "Jīku." "Yeah! Sounds strong, right? Like a hero! Perfect for my best friend!" Jīku rolled the name around in his mouth. Jīku. A short sound. But a very powerful one. "...Jīku." "Yep! Jīku! Nice to meet you, Jīku!" Asutorufo laughed. That smile was just as bright as it had been underground. Something stirred in Jīku's chest. (Someone called my name.) For the first time in his life. Someone had called him by name. Not a number. Not "homunculus." But the name Jīku. "...Nice to meet you." Jīku gave a small nod. Some time later, Darnic's proclamation echoed through the castle. 'Before the war, restore your spirits. Everyone, prepare a meal together.' It made no sense. "Cooking?! Cooking before a war?!" "What is cooking?" "Cooking is cooking! Making food! The delicious kind! Jīku, have you never eaten?!" "...No." "Then perfect timing! Let's go! The kitchen's this way!" Led by the hand, Jīku walked through the castle. Trifas Castle was far larger than it looked from outside. Stone corridors. Old paintings on the walls. Candelabras placed here and there. "This is the kitchen! Huge, right?!" The kitchen truly was enormous—large enough to fit a few hundred tatami mats, he thought. And several Servants had already gathered there. The first to catch his eye was a tall man in black robes. He wore a mask, so his expression was hidden. Avicebron, Caster of Black. "...Then let us begin." Avicebron raised both hands. The floor at the center of the kitchen began to glow. Complex geometric patterns surfaced, and light swirled. "Whoa! What's that?!" "Alchemy. The generation and transmutation of matter is my specialty." When the light subsided, a massive pot stood there. No—a pot wasn't the right word. It was more like a bathtub. A giant, gleaming black cauldron big enough to fit several adults. "It's huge!" "This should suffice. The ingredients are... oh?" Another Servant stood in the kitchen doorway. Chiron. Archer of Black. A calm-looking man with long black hair tied back. A bow on his back, and a large boar slung across his shoulders. "I took this in the mountains. It's fresh." "A boar?! A real one?! Amazing! It's so big!" "Let's ask Frankenstein to butcher it. With her strength, it should be simple." Jīku's eyes were fixed on the scene. (This is the power of a Servant.) Alchemy that produced a giant cauldron in an instant. An archer who hunted boar in the mountains. And as if answering Chiron's call, Berserker of Black—Frankenstein—appeared, silently took the boar, and butchered it in moments. Crushing bone, carving meat, sorting organs. Her movements were terrifyingly precise, without a single wasted motion. "Amazing..." "Right, right?! Servants are amazing! Oh, but I'm just as good, you know!" The kitchen burst into lively activity. Avicebron started a fire with alchemy, Chiron directed the meat preparation. Frankenstein worked in silence. Jīku simply watched. Human activity. Preparation for eating. An act of living. (I want to... do something too.) Jīku spotted vegetables piled in a corner of the kitchen. Onions, stacked like a mountain. He picked up a knife. (Do I just cut these?) He set an onion on the cutting board. Raised the knife. Brought it down. Chop. "...!" The knife slipped off the onion and sliced his own finger. His left index finger. A deep cut. Red blood welled up and dripped. "Ahhh! Jīku! What are you doing?!" Asutorufo came flying over. "You're bleeding! Blood! Blood!" "...Blood." Jīku stared at the red liquid flowing from his finger. Warm. Red. It wouldn't stop. (This is blood.) (Blood flows in me, too.) (But I'm a homunculus, a consumable, something to be discarded someday, and—) "Hold still! I'll get bandages right now!" Asutorufo dashed out of the kitchen in a panic. Jīku just watched the blood flow from his finger. It hurt. But hurting meant being alive. (Am I... alive?) "Got them! Here, give me your hand!" Asutorufo came back, white bandages in hand. "Did it hurt? You okay?" "...It hurts." "I know. It hurts, right? Of course it hurts when you cut yourself. But bleeding means you're alive!" Bleeding means you're alive. Jīku repeated those words in his mind, over and over. "Here, I'll wrap it. Hold still." Asutorufo wrapped the bandage with practiced hands. "And... done! Does it still hurt?" "...It doesn't hurt." It actually still hurt. But now that it was bandaged, the pain felt just a little bit less. "Good! Jīku, have you ever used a knife before?" "...No." "I see! Then I'll teach you! Onions, you cut them like this!" Asutorufo took Jīku's hand and showed him how to hold the knife. "Curl your fingers like this, and rest the spine of the knife against your second knuckle. That way you won't cut yourself." "...Like this?" "Yes, yes! Nice, nice!" Following Asutorufo's instructions, Jīku began cutting the onion. Slowly. Carefully. The onion became thin slices. "You did it, you did it! That's great, Jīku!" "...Is this really that great?" "It is! Cutting this well on your first try—you've got talent!" Talent. The word seeped gently into Jīku's chest. (There's something I can do, too.) Even if I'm a consumable, even if I'm disposable, even if I have nothing but a number. Cutting onions—that much, I can do. "...Thank you." "Huh? For what?" "For teaching me. And the bandage. And... the name." "What are you talking about! We're best friends—it's only natural!" Asutorufo laughed again. Looking at that smile, something deep in Jīku's chest grew just a little bit warmer. Dinner was held in the great hall. Boar stew simmered in the giant cauldron. Fresh-baked bread. Steaming soup. For the first time in his life, Jīku ate something called a meal. "...It's delicious." "Right?! It's boar that Chiron hunted! The best, right?!" "...Chew your food well. Your body seems weak—you need proper nourishment." "...Thank you." Jīku carried a spoonful of stew to his mouth. Warm. Heat spread through his body. (This is a meal.) (This is what it means to live.) Jīku savored the stew, eating slowly. That night. Jīku dreamed. Inside a dark tank. Green liquid. Faces just like his own, connected to tubes. Dozens of homunculi, floating. And one by one, they vanished. Pulled from the tank, carried a

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Episode 1

Name: The Daily Life Before the Great Holy Grail War
Author: Novelia

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