LIGHTNOVELWORLD 2
The green Servant before him is named Edmond Dantès, based on the protagonist from “The Count of Monte Cristo”. He is the world’s most famous Avenger, the Count of Monte Cristo, and also the Servant summoned by Xia Yuan several months ago.
However, rather than saying he summoned him, it’s more accurate to say that he summoned himself spontaneously, and Xia Yuan just happened to be chosen as the Master.
That day, Xia Yuan was just resting at home as usual when three red marks mysteriously appeared on the back of his hand. Then, a circle of light rising in the bedroom startled him, and he heard—
“Kuhahahahahaha!” Such an arrogant and demonic laugh.
Then the light circle exploded, and what he saw was:
“It was you who called me, young man, the incarnation of vengeance! Indeed… my pitch-black grudge, Servant Avenger, has arrived!”
At the moment of summoning, Xia Yuan saw his appearance clearly.
That red scarf, that dark green cloak, the hatred as substantial as reality, plus that green hat and unrestrained demonic laughter – isn’t this the Count? The Count of Monte Cristo, the King of the Cavern, Edmond Dantès.
But the problem is, where did you come from? I didn’t summon you at all!
He had no magic circuits, and he hadn’t drawn a summoning circle, so how could a Servant be summoned by him? And why would a class like Avenger be summoned?
What the hell is all this?
1994, Fuyuki City, Servant Summoning.
For an old Type-Moon fan like him, he knew without thinking what was about to happen.
The Fourth Holy Grail War.
Mages were about to cause trouble in Fuyuki.
He, who had already anticipated this, didn’t care much. After all, he was just an ordinary person, and whatever happened on the mystery side had nothing to do with him. He didn’t intend to get involved either. After all, as a complete weakling, he wouldn’t even know how he’d die if he got into such a war. Staying away was the best choice.
But as that circle of light rose from the ground, followed by the arrogant laughter of “Kuhahahaha!”, it completely numbed Xia Yuan, who had already prepared to move to a distant city this year.
Looking at the three glaring red marks that appeared on the back of his hand, he could feel that he had been bound to this Servant before him in some inexplicable way.
He knew that his pre-bought house insurance and prepared relocation plans were now in vain.
Seeing the Count’s frivolous and arrogant face, and the already messy room, he just felt…
What a disaster.
[There is an image here, viewable after updating the version]
Chapter 1: The Ghost of Vengeance and the Transmigrator
[“Are you alone? Is that so? Then come with me. From today on, we’ll be two people—”]
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“Count, Happy New Year.”
While cooking dinner, Xia Yuan didn’t forget to give his Servant a blessing, even though the other side didn’t celebrate New Year at all.
“New Year, huh? I remember it’s an important holiday on this side of the East, roughly corresponding to Christmas on my side. Although I’m not too familiar with it, thank you anyway, Master. Happy New Year.”
“Thank you.”
After thanking the Count, Xia Yuan brought the freshly made dishes to the table. Seeing the steak and several other Western-style dishes, the Count frowned slightly. Then Xia Yuan pushed the dishes in front of him and said, “Try it. I specially learned a few Western dishes, though the taste might not be very good.”
“The taste…”
The King of the Cavern nodded, looked at the dishes in front of him, then looked at Xia Yuan’s expectant eyes, skillfully picked up the knife and fork Xia Yuan had prepared in advance, took a small taste, and nodded slightly.
“Is it not good?”
Xia Yuan was a bit nervous. This was his first time making Western food. Although he had strictly followed the recipe’s requirements, he still felt unsure.
“Indeed, it’s very hard to eat.”
The cooking time wasn’t well controlled, the beef used was also low-grade, and the seasonings were incomplete. Such food perhaps couldn’t even be called Western cuisine.
“Ah? Sorry, there was only this kind of beef in the supermarket.”
However…
The Count put down his knife and fork, the corners of his mouth lifting in a slight arc. For a moment, Xia Yuan felt like he saw a hint of nostalgia in the Count’s smile?
This somewhat terrible but very familiar taste, it’s really similar to hers.
“But, I like it very much.”
Like it?
“Is that so? I’m glad you like it.”
Seeing that the Count liked it, Xia Yuan barely breathed a sigh of relief. His nervous emotions finally settled down, and a trace of relaxation showed in his eyes. All of this fell into the King of the Cavern’s eyes.
Initially, the King of the Cavern found it very difficult to understand why his Master could trust him so much.
From the very beginning, when he descended here as an Avenger, the King of the Cavern, as an anti-hero, naturally didn’t have much respect for his Master, especially since this Master was an ordinary person who couldn’t even provide basic mana supply. As a Servant, he naturally would be full of resentment towards him, wouldn’t give him a good face, let alone listen to his orders, and certainly didn’t qualify to be called his accomplice.
This also led to the King of the Cavern often wandering out alone, and even being absent for several days was a common occurrence. If it weren’t for the Command Spells still on the back of his hand, Xia Yuan would have wondered if he had died outside.
Although the Holy Grail War hadn’t started, the Masters’ preparations had already begun. Such independent behavior was considered a great taboo in the Holy Grail War. If it were other Masters, they would have flared up long ago when facing such behavior from the King of the Cavern.
The King of the Cavern also thought that his Master would use Command Spells to restrict his behavior, and had already prepared himself mentally to backstab his Master.
However, not only did Xia Yuan not do that, he even strongly supported the King of the Cavern going out more, to see the development of the current world and experience what freedom is.
If he encountered trouble, he could contact him to use Command Spells if needed. He wouldn’t ask too much about other matters.
Then this Master-Servant pair got along in a very strange way for a long time.
To put it bluntly, they each did their own thing.
Xia Yuan wore gloves to cover his Command Spells and still lived his life of going out early and returning late every day. The King of the Cavern went out to roam freely, only needing to contact periodically to report that he was safe. Xia Yuan wouldn’t restrict him in other matters. The two’s interaction mode was as if nothing had happened, and life continued as usual.
This strange mode of getting along, if placed in any Holy Grail War, would be unprecedented. Where is there a Master who indulges their Servant so much? Or rather, this is not treating him as a servant or familiar at all, this mode of getting along is almost like… friends?
Until one day when he came back, the King of the Cavern finally couldn’t help but ask him.
Why?
This behavior puzzled him.
It might just be an accident, or some kind of arrangement, but being summoned in the Holy Grail War means he also has his own wish. But now he’s completely letting him be free, not taking the Holy Grail War to heart at all. Such contradictory behavior made him curious.
One day, he also asked his Master this question without hesitation.
Hearing this, Xia Yuan just smiled and replied, “Avenger, as the one being summoned, you also know that I didn’t use a catalyst to summon you, but you were summoned from the Throne of Heroes and bound to me.”
“Doesn’t this represent that you’re willing to come to an agreement with me? So I trust you. No matter what kind of mission you’re carrying this time, what purpose you have, I’m willing to trust you, even if you’re not willing to trust me.”
He has no talent, not even magic circuits. Being so weak, he has no qualification to act as a Master.
“I don’t have any talent, and I don’t know how to be a qualified Master. I’m not even a basic magus. I’m the one who should be your burden. It’s understandable that Avenger is dissatisfied with me.”
“If doing this can make Avenger happy, I will naturally choose to do so. Don’t mind me, just do what you like to do. We’re just partners, neither is the other’s master.”
For an Avenger like the Count who values swift vengeance, falsehood and calculation would only bring his dissatisfaction and rebellion. Being honest and treating each other as equals is the best choice.
Hearing Xia Yuan’s words, the King of the Cavern was also stunned. He scrutinized Xia Yuan for a long time with those golden eyes, then he laughed, a very relaxed laugh.
“Freedom? Kuhahaha, you’re really interesting for someone who doesn’t even count as a magus. Perhaps it’s precisely because of this that you can do this. But… freedom…”
“For a vengeful ghost like me, such a luxurious word as freedom has long been abandoned. Listen well, the one appearing before you now is not that redeemed Edmond Dantès, but a vengeful ghost named the King of the Cavern!
Therefore, what constitutes my very being is endless resentment, curses, and instantly lethal poisonous flames. If you want to touch me, be prepared. Do you really have the courage to associate with a demon, Master?”
Scorching black flames carrying ominous resentment and curses, the terrifying temperature made people retreat three steps. The King of the Cavern in the roaring flames coldly looked at his Master, but Xia Yuan didn’t mind these.
He shook his head and replied, “Whether you’re Edmond Dantès or the King of the Cavern, Avenger is Avenger. That’s enough for me.”
“If you need it, I can contribute my strength at any time. After all, we’re partners… I think.”
“Partners, huh…” The King of the Cavern snorted coldly, “Don’t decide on your own. I haven’t acknowledged someone like you yet. Be careful not to suddenly die if you partner with a vengeful ghost like me.”
“It’s okay, I actually quite like the King of the Cavern.”
“Hm? Like me? What foolish words are you saying? Liking a vengeful ghost like me, such a joke is not funny.”
“No, it’s true.”
“The King of the Cavern might be a bit cold, but I can see that you’re not a bad person, just not good at expressing yourself.”
Xia Yuan shook his head and said, “I can see that the King of the Cavern was once a very gentle person.”
King of the Cavern: “……”
After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly.
“What’s wrong with you? This attitude, even so you want to stay by my side, it’s just like her… No, she is ultimately her, you are not the same.”
After this opening up of hearts, the relationship between this Master-Servant pair, who originally had a gap, became closer. The King of the Cavern’s killing intent towards his Master also completely disappeared in their daily interactions.
Even in their interactions, he felt very satisfied with his Master’s thoughts and actions. Compared to those demons in Château d’If, his Master was quite good.
For such a Master, he didn’t mind helping a little.
Then in the process of several yakuza frictions, a few troublemaking punks were quickly knocked down by some unknown mysterious attack, directly losing consciousness, and kept shouting about “evil spirits” and such even after being taken to the police station.
Also because of those few meritorious deeds, Xia Yuan’s position in the Fujimura Group was significantly promoted, exceptionally promoted from an external member to the core of the organization.
Although Xia Yuan would complain afterwards that the King of the Cavern was wasting mana and might attract those mages.
In short, in the continuous interaction, the tacit understanding between this Master-Servant pair kept warming up. Just like in general casual stories, two people with opposite personalities develop a faint friendship in daily interactions.
Because he knew from the beginning that the Count was not a bad person. On the contrary, he was very delicate. For a Master he acknowledged, he would also give unreservedly, heart for heart.
Of course, neither side has admitted this point.
This is also a kind of unspoken understanding between them.
…
“Count, I have something to discuss tomorrow, so I’m going to bed first. Please help me clean up the dishes.”
“……”
Hm? Is this what a noble Heroic Spirit is used for?
The Count gave him a meaningful look, nodded, and didn’t forget to ask, “What are you going to discuss? Do you need me to accompany you?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing big. I want to quit this job. After all, the upcoming battle will be very dangerous. I don’t want to involve them and make them worry.”
“I see… You want to retire…”
“Something like that. I can’t continue being a yakuza anymore.”
“Then after leaving the organization, have you considered your life after the Holy Grail War ends?” The Count narrowed his eyes slightly, while picking up the coffee on the table, taking a light sip and savoring it carefully.
“Master, leaving your original life must make you feel uneasy, right?”
“……”
Undeniably, there is indeed such a feeling.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Count, but it should be fine. I’ve saved quite a bit of money these past few years, enough for a long time of living.”
“Now the Fujimura Group has also sorted out its relationship with the police station. As long as we don’t cause big trouble and gradually transition towards legitimate business, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“I see. Since you have it figured out, I won’t say more.”
“Rest well then. Good night, Master.”
The Count lightly tapped the table, casually picked up the dishes, gently closed the door, and left the room.
“Good night.”
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[There is an image here, viewable after updating the version]
Chapter 2: Resignation Letter Before the War
[Although meeting and talking doesn’t mean we can understand everything; but if we don’t meet and talk, we won’t understand anything—]
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Near Fuyuki Park, there’s a bar that Xia Yuan often frequents.
Under the simple signboard is a common entrance. The bar’s decoration is very ordinary, and there’s no special feature to attract customers on the exterior. The lighting inside is also very dim, and there are several holes in the dark windows. The only thing worth praising is the good milk here and those affordable cheap drinks.