Dream of The Beginning

Ryan and Artoria talked for a while as they took walk around the riverside park. 

Later, when they had their fill on scenery around the park, they went to visit various places in Fuyuki City. 

They chatted over various matters; be it fun or serious, as they enjoyed their time greatly until the sun gradually set. After all, even if they arrived at the wrong world, they didn't forget their initial intention to have a good time together. 

Ryan decided to postpone his hunt for the Demon God Pillars until he concluded the matters in this worldline. He had a feeling that whoever sent him to this worldline intended for him to interfere in this unusual matter. 

Moreover, he could feel it that his Sixth Magic was undergoing a mystical transformation since he arrived at this worldline. That's why he decided to wait for a while until the Sixth Magic finished its transformation. During that time, he would like to see just what kind of event was happening in this place. 

Nonetheless, even if it was an indirect method, it still left him a bad taste the fact that he was being used like this...

'Oh well, grumbling won't get me anywhere. Still, Great Fuyuki Holy Grail War eh.' 

"Someone definitely wants you to participate in it, Ryan." Artoria smiled lightly. 

"…this is shitty. I won't pull my punch if I ever found out whoever did this dick move." 

*Chuckle* "But you need to get them first, which is not possible at the moment." 

"That's why it is a shitty move." Ryan sighed lightly. He already had a firm guess who did this to him, but since that person was always elusive, it would be hard to get a payback from that person. 

"Then, are you fine with 'them' following us around?" Artoria suddenly asked with a smile. She lightly glanced at certain direction. 

At that moment, their little trip already brought them to Shinto Town on the other side of Mion River. Ryan and Artoria were having a light meal at Verde, the biggest shopping center in Shinto Town. 

"Why not? They'd come over if they really want to. If not, they'd better not disturb our meal." Ryan spoke calmly. He didn't want to bother with those people who had been tailing them since they arrived at Shinto Town two hours ago. As long as they did not disturb him, he could care less about what they wanted to do. 

Just after Ryan spoke about it, someone dragged another chair from other table and seated himself between Ryan and Artoria. 

"Yo, so you knew about us since long ago, huh. You sure have lot of guts to keep us waiting like this, mate! Do you...prefer the hard way or softer way? I can indulge you however you like, kid! 

"But, if you tell your Servant to accompany me for some nights, we can become the best buds! Won't that better than you getting roughed up? Kuhahaha!" 

A man looking on his early thirties smirked as he put his arm around Ryan's shoulder.  His eyes held disdain and scorn as he looked at Ryan, but he showed a blatant possessive desire and lust toward Artoria when he laid his eyes on her. 

"Ohh, are you sure you can handle it?" Ryan asked lightly. He noticed that the previous bustling people around them had strangely disappeared. The space around the three of them had gradually turned fuzzy, and the area around them was filled with scented fog which caused a sedative effect. 

'An illusion or is it a domain-type ability? A bit interesting. Unfortunately, it's useless against me.' Ryan thought silently as he looked around his surroundings. 

"Nah, you don't need to look around. Those guys won't bother us for a while now. So, how about it, kid? I ain't no unreasonable guy. I just want to be best buds with you. Keke!" 

"What do you think, Lancer?" Ryan looked toward Artoria. 

"Up to you." Though, Artoria merely shrugged lightly. She was clearly unamused by the clown which had suddenly appeared to disturb her time with Ryan. 

"That so? Then..." Ryan smiled strangely at her answer.  

Peter Vandrick had been keeping his smirk all this while, showing his lecherous gaze blatantly toward Artoria and looking condescending toward Ryan. However, it was part of his plan. Hidden deep within his eyes was the cunningness of a fox which kept his patience before it was sure to catch its prey. 

He didn't underestimate Ryan. In fact, he purposely overestimated him in his caution so he could be sure to catch this great fish with certainty. 

When he saw that Ryan was still unable to extricate himself from his mind world, Peter smirked, 'They said this kid is the 'King' of our faction? What a joke. He can't even defend against this little bit of illusion.' 

His prized ability was [Mutant Gene: Telepath]. 

Peter only managed to acquire such ability through his guild's connection, and even with that, he still needed to shoulder large sum of debt to purchase it. Although there was some serious side effect for normal human like him gaining mutant gene, when he thought of various pleasures he could get from it, Peter decided that it was worth it! 

'We're only living in the moment. If we don't enjoy it while we can, when will?! Don't blame me, blame yourself who is too full of yourself, kid!' 

At that moment, the other five participants who were 'slightly' late to stop Peter Vandrick were watching how Ryan would deal with him. 

"Using him to test the newcomer… isn't this too devious?" Arthur narrowed his eyes when he saw that Peter had immediately used his ability to enter the newcomer's mind when he sat next to them. 

From the looks of it, both the newcomer and his Servant were unable to muster proper resistance to mind control as they were immediately entrapped within Peter's mind world. 

"Oh please, Arthur. Just put off your fake act. Don't think I don't know who you truly are. Only that idiot Peter who couldn't see through your true nature." Mikaela sneered when she looked at Arthur Blair. 

"Come on, Ms. Graham… won't you indulge me in my little hobby for a bit?" Arthur revealed a meaningful smile as his pupil turned into a slit, looking like a pair of snake eyes. 

"If my guess isn't wrong, that man is a Reincarnator of this world. The 'Easter Egg' the Host announced previously." Kazuki spoke casually. 

"You thought so too? What a coincidence, I also thought about it earlier– is that what you thought I was going to say, fatty? Thanks for stating the obvious." Mikaela looked sarcastically at Kazuki. 

Kazuki simply shrugged. He didn't want to bother with this high-headed woman as he added lightly, "I mean, if he got himself beaten easily by Peter, that would be the biggest joke of the year." 

"…he overestimated himself." The masked woman spoke in lower voice before she turned away. 

"Who did you mean by that, miss Raiha?" Kazuki glanced at her lightly. 

The masked woman was silent as she refused to reply. Her thought was fixated on the young man as a certain someone came to her mind. 

'Is it really you…?' 

Meanwhile, inside Peter's mind world. Peter was still trying to burrow into Ryan's and Artoria's mind. 

Emotional instability. Weakened mind. Weary spirit. 

As long as his opponent had at least one of those traits, Peter could easily slip into their mind and etched his suggestion deep within their consciousness. After that, they would be no different from his puppet, obeying any of his orders even if they were told to kill themselves. 

'...but, isn't he too calm? He is still keeping that foolish smile of his all these…time? Wait!' 

When he realized there was something strange going on, Peter saw that both 'Ryan' and 'Artoria' had changed form. One of them turned into a giant faceless winged demon, while the other turned into a frost dragon flying beside the winged demon. Both creatures were staring down at him silently while intense might bearing down on the mind world all of sudden. 

"Wh-who…who are you?!" 

The faceless winged demon grinned when he heard Peter's panicked shout. "Didn't you try to enter my mind? Now, I just allowed you to see it. Why are you being quiet like that? Come on, keep struggling. It won't be fun otherwise." 

It was the first time Peter Vandrick was faced with such abnormal existence. Even those demonic beings he faced before wasn't that unreasonable! 

Of course, it had to do with the fact that his level was still low. That limited his view and range of interaction as he couldn't even hope to see those truly strong beings... 

'This monster....! Too strong! His spirit's way too strong!!' Peter was thinking silently as he shouted toward the giant faceless demon, "Sorry bro, that's just a small joke! Can you… forgive this little ol' Peter? I promise I will be your most loyal henchmen from here onwards, boss!" 

Ryan didn't reply the bastard's plea. He raised both his hands and put the sorry bastard on the space between his palms. 

"No! NO! Don't do it!" 

An invisible space barrier soon trapped Peter as countless chains tied him down tightly. 

"Fuck this shit! Hey bastard, do you know who I am?! My mates won't let you go if you don't release me this instant!! Hey, are you listening?!" 

Ryan immediately tied some barbed chains around that bastard's mouth to shut him up. 

"You're too noisy." 

When all was done, Ryan and Artoria returned into their original form. 

The mind world was still a white space filled with scented fog, but in the center, there was now an addition of the figure of someone bound tightly by innumerable chains. 

"He wants to play a mind control technique against me? With such weak spirit, isn't he just overestimating himself?" Ryan sneered slightly. As he thought about it, a blast of spirit wave exploded from his mind, crushing Peter's mind world to bits in just a second. 

When Ryan opened his eyes, he saw that the lecherous fellow beside him had lost his gaze. His eyes were empty, his face was blank, and he laid weakly on his chair. 

Soon, a mature woman endowed with rich motherly charm materialized before Ryan. She held the man as she looked toward Ryan with gratitude apparent inside her eyes. 

"You are... Minamoto no Raikou? Are you his Servant?" Ryan asked, feeling surprised. 

Raikou nodded slightly at Ryan's question, silently affirming his guess. 

"...", Ryan didn't expect that such lecherous bastard like that fellow had summoned a Servant like Minamoto no Raikou. 

On that man's right hand, there were marks of Command Spell. Most of them looked dim, while only the last one was still bright red. 

'Did he use them on–' 

Raikou took her Master away with dark face. Before she left, she turned toward Ryan, "I am sorry for my Master's impudence. And, thank you..." 

A trace of relief could be heard at the end of her sentence. Ryan could clearly sense a feeling of liberation coming from Raikou as she brought away her comatose Master. 

Not long after Raikou went away, a group of people came toward his direction. They stopped at appropriate distance, not too far and not too close. A chubby young man soon separated from the group as he approached Ryan. 

"Hm. Are you here to take revenge for that man?" Ryan looked a little interested when he saw the newcomer. That was because he recognized the Servant who materialized beside the young man; a Saber class Servant– Nero Claudius. 

"Umu~ you're just as pretty as enemy's Saber. But of course, I am the most beautiful Saber." Nero smiled heartily as she looked up and down at Artoria, examining her in details. 

"Emperor Nero, mind your manners." Artoria spoke curtly. She felt a slight headache facing Nero's enthusiasm. 

"Ahaha... I am sorry for what our member did to you. But since we are all in the same faction, can you be a bit lenient? Helpless pervert as he is, that man still has some uses." Kazuki spoke apologetically as he bowed a little toward Ryan. 

Still has some uses? So, if he's useless, then his life wouldn't matter? This guy... He's quite heartless than he looks. 

Ryan was calm as he measured the man in front of him. 

"I've shown my leniency. That man won't die, he is only trapped within his own mind. His Servant should be able to move as better as before if that's your concern. 

"However, do note that I don't need your meddling in my matters. Even without you all, I can still win this Grail War single-handedly." 

Ryan stated coldly. 

When he looked that the chubby man in front of him wasn't the least bit surprised at his audacity, it felt like that chubby man already expected such response from him? 

"...I see. As expected. You are the Reincarnator of this world, correct?" 

Pin-drop silence descended the moment that chubby man spoke of Reincarnator to Ryan. 

Kazuki could feel a chilling, pricking sensation was assaulting his mind. 

'Ugh...! Please, I don't have any ill-intents by saying it!" Kazuki held his head in pain as he tried to explain himself to Ryan. 

'Each Reincarnators should have been notified by their own System about the participants and the current quest. However, this guy... There's something strange about him.' 

Nero wanted to help her Master, but Artoria stepped forward to block her path. 

"Who are you...?" Ryan had a frosty look on his eyes as he looked at Kazuki. 

"I mean, we are similar Earthlings!" 

Ryan: "..." 

"If you don't believe me, there is also another Reincarnator in our faction. As fellow Reincarnators, perhaps you should try talking with her, bro." Kazuki gave Ryan a knowing laugh as he seemed to hint at something. 

Ryan narrowed his eyes. He didn't entirely believe what the chubby man said, but, it also wouldn't be a bother for him to listen to what they wanted to say at least.