Fate: How About a New Savior?

Three hours later, at a church near the battlefield... The church had been repurposed into a temporary field hospital, overseen by the Serva

Three hours later, at a church near the battlefield...

The church had been repurposed into a temporary field hospital, overseen by the Servant who introduced herself as Florence Nightingale. Though calling herself a nurse, she held absolute authority—so much so that even the battlefield doctors couldn't defy her.

Shiomi sat just outside the church, tugging slightly at the white protective suit he wore, now stained with blood.

Thanks to his unexpected arrival, the one-sided battle had been turned around by his efforts alone. Though the Continental Army feared him for his overwhelming strength, they also saw him as the hero who had saved their lives. With Florence Nightingale personally vouching for him, Shiomi earned their respect.

Afterward, they cleaned up the battlefield and helped evacuate the wounded to the rear. As Magus, both Shiomi and Caren could use healing Magecraft, making them a tremendous help to the injured.

Unlike conventional sterilization and treatment, Magecraft could quickly relieve pain, stop bleeding, and even close minor wounds. During treatment, Shiomi even managed to help soldiers who had lost limbs or damaged eyes and ears avoid permanent disability. Some of the more devout among them began to view him as a divine messenger sent to save them—a Messiah.

Shiomi said nothing to deny it. He saw no reason to crush the hope of soldiers who needed faith to sustain themselves.

After about three hours of healing, Florence Nightingale forced Shiomi to take a break, firmly insisting that even a Magus had limits to his Mana and needed rest.

"This battlefield is brutal," said Caren, stepping outside in her own white protective suit and long gloves. "It's a shame medicine in this era is so underdeveloped."

"Not to mention most Magus abide by the ironclad rule of secrecy. They'd never get involved in something unrelated to the pursuit of truth or the Root." Shiomi pursed his lips. "If not for this Singularity, I wouldn't be doing this either."

Part of the reason was to earn Florence Nightingale's trust and gather intel about the Singularity. The other was to further explore his "Authority."

"Dad's healing Magecraft is advanced enough that only top-tier Magus specializing in healing could manage it," Caren said softly, praising him.

"Just so-so." Shiomi shrugged. "How are you feeling? If you're tired, lean on me for a bit. Tending to the wounded takes a lot out of you."

Caren didn't hesitate and leaned gently against his shoulder. The metallic scent of blood mingled with Shiomi's own scent.

Taking advantage of the break, Shiomi contacted Chaldea and briefed them on the current situation.

"She doesn't recognize herself as a Servant, but our scan of Florence Nightingale's Spirit Origin suggests her Class is Berserker," Morgan said through a projected image. "You two are covered in blood—did you kill someone?"

Since the London Singularity, Chaldea had improved their comm systems. They could now transmit both video and audio from within a Singularity.

"No wonder she insists she's a nurse," Shiomi recalled. "Her Mad Enhancement probably fused with her medical instincts, creating her current mental state."

"I tried to question her about the Singularity earlier," Caren added, "but she was completely focused on the wounded. She didn't want to talk at all. We could only communicate a little."

Morgan scanned the data on screen. "Mad Enhancement usually strips away a Servant's will, but that doesn't erase their inherent abilities or legends. Sometimes, those core traits interact with the degree of madness. That's why being able to talk normally isn't unheard of."

She was clearly referring to herself.

Morgan seemed well aware of her own manifestation as a Berserker and was neither confused nor offended by it.

"But it wasn't a total loss," Shiomi said with a strained smile. "The wounded started treating me like some divine savior. Every time I healed one, they'd start confessing their sins and praying... At this rate, I'm afraid I'll be labeled a heretic and end up in a witch trial."

"Then I'd be the witch?" Caren said, pointing at herself.

The witch hunts of the Middle Ages had their roots in the deadly struggle between the Holy Church and the Mage's Association. Though centuries had passed, the conflict's echoes hadn't entirely faded.

"So, are you using this opportunity to gather useful intel, husband?" Morgan asked teasingly, her tone brimming with certainty.

Shiomi shrugged. "Yeah, I took the chance to talk to some wounded soldiers and got a rough idea of what's going on here."

Not long ago, the land that would become the United States suddenly split in two—East and West—and war broke out.

The western side was the American army fighting for independence.

The eastern forces were those strange "warriors," the Celtic soldiers.

When those warriors were killed, they left no corpses behind. Like Servants, they vanished entirely.

But their Spirit Origins didn't reach Servant-level. These puppet-like warriors were clearly here with a single goal.

"To stop the founding of the United States... If the Revolutionary War doesn't end in victory, the history locked into the Quantum Time-Lock will collapse. That would unravel all the records that follow—and in turn, disrupt human history itself," Shiomi explained, sending Chaldea several photos he'd taken earlier near a military camp.

The images showed mechanical soldiers—almost identical to the Helter Skelters from the London Singularity—but painted with American flag motifs. The reason the Continental Army had managed to endure against the Celtic warriors' overwhelming strength was thanks to these machines fighting alongside them.

"Both sides are bizarre..." Caren said. "One side has mechanical soldiers and a nurse Servant; the other has enhanced warriors that don't belong to this time."

Shiomi sighed. "Regardless, since we've already helped this side, we should begin by investigating the war that caused this Singularity from the perspective of the living... then try to organize it and restore the—"

"You said... you want to stop the 'war'?"

Florence Nightingale's voice rang out suddenly from behind them.