Fate: Hero and Sword

"Yes yes, you finally understand my greatness now don't you, Praetor?"

She turned her face towards him, anticipation evident in her eyes.

Unfortunately, it was time he got his answers.

"What exactly did you do?" he asked, watching as Nero visibly deflated.

"Umu," she muttered to herself before facing him. "It would seem that it was too much for me to assume that you'd know even without me telling you, but as the supreme Praetor I had hopes. Very well, now listen closely. It was your honour that this Emperor decided to act and instigate my distant relative into action on your behalf."

"Huh?"

His lip twitched. Now that he thought about it, the group of Knights and a King he had left behind were strangely absent. Contrary to the discipline that they were known and programmed for, they hadn't remained behind to await his return.

It was a shocking realization that caused him to stiffen for its significance couldn't be ignored. Arturia and the others, they weren't just the simple lines of text and script that he had made them from, but seemed to be actual people. Based on the in-game script alone, no matter what Nero would have had done, the Duty and Responsibility of Arturia's settings wouldn't have had been swayed. It was similar to old RPGs where no matter how many times one talked to an NPC, the dialogue would never change. In this case though, it did.

Arturia, through her own decision, led herself and her Knights out to scout the surrounding vicinity based on Nero's words.

Her actions were human, involving thought process and mental choice.

Therefore, didn't that mean it was the same for all the other NPCs he had created? It was almost like a new life for them. The histories that they were comprised of dictating their strengths and abilities. Recreating the figures lost in the annals of history.

Thus, Arturia would be identical to the Arturia he had known for he understood her the most, and spent the longest time with her.

He forcibly cut off that trail of thought, for he didn't know what he might have had done as a result.

Nonetheless, he understood at the moment what he had to do.

Nero stared blankly at him in confusion, somewhat concerned for his sudden stillness, lips pursing.

It was exactly because of the human expression on Nero's face that solidified for him what he was going to do from now on. He had created all these NPCs, therefore he would protect them and let them experience the life that their past responsibilities barred them from.

This was a chance.

Fake as it might be, subconsciously, it was still a way to help him cope. To see the joy on the face of the woman he loved once more. That alone was enough.

"Are you alright, Praetor?" Nero finally asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, scratching at the back of his head.

Everything just felt so surreal at the moment, yet his years working in his profession had allowed him to lock onto finer details.

If Arturia and her Knights were just scouting the area, then they would do so in a circular perimeter, making their search distance smaller than his own which reached the edge of the forest. Therefore,

"You said they left earlier, right?" He questioned slowly while recalling the current state of the forest around.

Nero nodded.

"Then why aren't they back yet?" Was all that he asked.

Nero's expression blanked.

It was a solemn sort of silence; the kind Vincent had never really experienced due to his standing as an heir of the Berferd Dutchy. After all, he had never been the one to initiate the conversation, but rather those that wished to create ties with him did instead.

It was a rather jaded lifestyle that he had unknowingly gotten used to, leaving him tongue tied as he stared at the small back walking just ahead of him. It was almost unbelievable to imagine that the woman before him was the person who had just saved him.

Small of stature, but possessing an integrity and duty greater than any other.

The sound of her small steps pressing against the ground were rather heavy compared to his which were rather soft-sounding in the tranquil silence. Then again, her heavy armour must have had weighed her down far more.

He had heard of many women in the Roble Holy Kingdom aspiring to be Paladins or Holy Knights in hopes of matching the legend of the Kingdom's National Hero, the Holy Maiden and Valkyrie of Roble, but the woman before him was far more.

With the means she had exhibited earlier, he was certain that Gustav Montagnés or Remedios Custodio, premiere Holy Knights of the Kingdom, wouldn't even be able to hold a candle to her.

He really wanted to find something to talk about at the moment, yet he really was at a loss about what to say even after she had so righteously offered her aid on his behalf.

As it would turn out though, it wasn't something he himself was going to initiate. It was her instead.

"Where exactly is this place?" Arturia asked, gaze shifting back towards Vincent.

If anything, she had slowly come to realize that Vincent was literally a walking source of information. Just like Shirou, she too wasn't familiar with the current location and Vincent's information may prove useful.

More importantly, a part of her was urging her to find ways to help ease Shirou's burdens.

Her question, however, caught Vincent by surprise.

"You don't know where we are?" He asked befuddled.

Expression stoic, Arturia eventually explained that she had lost track of her surroundings while out training for experience.

Vincent stared at her for a while with slight doubt but still explained that they were in the midst of the Roble Holy Kingdom located southwest of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

Expression remaining as it was, Arturia made sure not to give anything away. In fact, the terminologies Vincent used himself were too foreign for her to understand. To begin with, she didn't even know what the Re-Estize Kingdom was. Still, the amount of background she was able to garner would help her out in the long run.