FGO/KONOSUBA: GOD BLESSINGS ON THOSE WONDERFUL HEROES

[F] Wait King Arthur Is A... Woman!?

I stood there, catching my breath after the skirmish with the Assassin-class Servant, who'd finally fallen after a maddening game of cat-and-mouse. Beside me, Aqua panted, holding her staff up as though she'd been working as hard as I had. I glanced over to Mash and Ritsuka just in time to see Ritsuka give a quick, determined order for Mash to take down an approaching enemy—either Saber or Rider, it was hard to tell at this distance. But just as Mash stepped forward, shield raised, the air suddenly crackled with a flash of heat and light, and the Servant facing her burst into flames.

"What the...?" I murmured, squinting to make out the cause. Aqua tensed beside me, muttering about rune magic, but I knew that wasn't it. The energy felt strange, powerful, and slightly unsettling. Before I could fully process what was happening, something—no, someone—descended from above, landing between us and the burning Servant with a casual, almost cocky, demeanor. His hooded figure seemed to almost emanate with magical energy.

"On guard, Kazuma-san," Mash called, keeping her eyes trained on the new arrival. Ritsuka's voice was steady as he instructed us to stay back, but Aqua and I instinctively moved forward, positioning ourselves in front of the director as a makeshift line of defense.

The new Servant raised his arms into the sky, making a clear gesture of peace. No immediate threat. But in situations like this, trusting blindly was an amateur's mistake. His hand reached up to lower the hood, and as he did, a shock of blue hair tumbled free, catching the faint light around us. His eyes were sharp, glinting with an unsettling mix of danger and amusement.

"Sup. Name's Caster," he said with a grin that bordered on insolent. "Cu Chulainn."

My mind went blank for a second as I stared, my brain struggling to connect the dots. Caster? Cu Chulainn? Who the hell was Cu Chulainn?

Before I could voice the thought, the director gasped softly beside me. "The legendary hero of Ireland," she whispered, almost reverently, as though we were in the presence of some deity.

I glanced back at her, trying to make sense of it. "Who?"

The director didn't answer immediately, her eyes still locked on the blue-haired man who stood before us with that confident smirk. Cu—this "Caster"—must have noticed our expressions, because he chuckled, his gaze sweeping over us with an almost teasing familiarity.

"Surprised, huh? You're not the first." He crossed his arms, his staff—because, yeah, he had a staff rather than the spear I'd expected—glinting faintly in the light. "Let's just say versatility is one of my strong points. Besides, it keeps things interesting."

Aqua looked positively scandalized by this nonchalance, muttering something about "not showing proper respect." I shot her a look to quiet her down—last thing we needed was her stirring up trouble with yet another powerful figure. Instead, I focused on him, mind racing as I tried to piece together what I knew—or thought I knew—about Cu Chulainn, Caster-class or not. The legendary Irish hero, known for his feats in battle, his unyielding loyalty, his fierce temperament... and here he was, standing before us, a so-called "Caster" with not a hint of a spear.

Caster—or Cu Chulainn, apparently—smirked as he looked around at us. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't step in out of the goodness of my heart," he said, casually brushing some dust off his robe. "I need you guys to team up with me. Think of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement."

I opened my mouth, not entirely sure what to say. A Servant offering to team up, just like that? But before I could even get a word out, he cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow as he focused on the director. His smirk turned into a lopsided grin, and he jabbed a finger toward her. "Uh, you gonna explain why you're standing around in your underwear and covered only by this guy's blazer?"