Fate/ Grand Crypter

Chapter 6

Olga Marie watched as Leo's eyes closed and his head slumped forward. The young man was exhausted. Perhaps she had been pushing him too much. She could feel the fatigue creeping across her body as well, kept at bay by her magical energy. One of the benefits of her superior magical lineage was the greater reserve of magical energy upon which she could draw. Most other mages simply could not do the same for long.

Now that she was looking at him properly, Marie could see that his clothing showed signs of damage. His black coat was singed on one side, and she could see a hole on his side. Reaching out cautiously, she touched the inside. The skin felt raw, and bloody, leaving a red mark on her fingertips. She withdrew her hand quickly and looked again at the young magus's sleeping face. Leo hadn't taken any hits while they were here in the Singularity. Which meant he had been suffering from this blow the entire time they had been here.

He had mentioned that he had found the bomb in Chaldea. He had probably fought with the person who had placed it there as well. No wonder he had so quickly run out of energy, he had been using it to close his wounds. It showed remarkable resolve but also was the hallmark of a true fool.

"If you were already suffering, you should have said something... dammit," she said.

"He didn't seem like the type to talk about his problems." The enigmatic Saber she had summoned moved Leo, laying him down on one of the tables. Her very first servant, Senji Muramasa. The power he had displayed when fighting Assassin was tremendous, but despite his appearance, his manner and speech reminded her of the old men of the Animusphere family. Always looking down at her, always judging and expecting better.

"I disagree," she said, folding her arms. "He is far from the strong, silent type. Since we got here he has been making lots of conversation."

"You don't have to be the strong silent type to hold back, Master," Muramasa said. "Since my summon, this one stayed in the back watching. He isn't the type to be holding back his problems because he thinks he can deal with them. He strikes me as the type of person who stays silent about their problems because they believe other people won't care about them, that they are not worth their time."

"And just how do you know he is that kind of person," Marie said. "You have barely known him for an hour at this point!"

"I've seen lots of people over the years. After a while, learning how to read at a glance just becomes a skill you pick up, no matter how much you don't want to." Muramasa looked over at Olga Marie, his eyes seeming to pierce right through her. "Besides Master, how long have you known him to be able to say he isn't that kind of person?"

Olga Marie opened her mouth to retort but could say nothing. He was right of course. Marie didn't know Leo at all beyond his file. But she wouldn't admit that to this uppity Ghost Liner. And she really didn't want to continue this conversation down the route it was going.

Turning away, Olga walked over to where Team A was gathered. They were all conversing among themselves, conversations which stopped as she approached. As they all turned to look at her, she felt herself tense up instinctively. She could see the expectations in their eyes, the disappointment, the quiet ridicule. But it was fine. She didn't need to care what they thought of her. They just needed to listen to her instructions.

"Have you decided who is going to perform the first set of summons?" She asked. "We don't know how long we have until that Assassin returns, so we need to be prepared for anything."

"We have." Kirshtaria stepped forward nodding. As always, he looked perfectly composed, ready for anything. Marie couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Beryl and I will perform the first summons."

"You and Beryl?" Marie frowned. "You I can understand, but why Beryl?"