Fate Apocrypha Volume 3

Chapter 3.4

It was... a strange dream.

I was racing across a great field, untouched plains of gorgeous emerald spreading endlessly in every direction. The scenery flowed past me. I knew it was a dream, but the sensations I felt in these two legs were more real than anything else.

I ran.

I was running.

Further, ever further, in an unwavering line. Indecent sounds began pouring from my mouth. Never had I imagined that running on my own two feet could bring such pleasure and stimulation.

In the blink of an eye, the scene changed and I reached a cave at the foot of a beautiful mountain.

Ah... I know this... yes, I know the name of this mountain.

This was Mount Pelion, a famous tourist attraction in Greece, and in one of its caves dwelt the famous centaur Chiron, the great sage and pride of the Greeks who educated many heroes.

By this point, even I began to understand that this was the past of my Servant. Due to the connection between us, I could see into his memories during sleep. Of course, it was possible for me to decide to cut off these visions, but that would be a waste; if anything, I dove further down the hole, tuning my level of my consciousness. It took quite some time for me to adjust – having not quite done this sort of thing before – but now, whenever I dreamed, I would be able to see Chiron.

I could see the Chiron that I did not yet know.

As I approached the cave, a boy began running towards us, calling out "master!"

Was he one of his students?

The boy jumped lightly onto the rock next to us. Looking down at Chiron with some sort of anticipation, he spoke.

"Master, let's go out and hunt!"

"We cannot."

I began to laugh, seeing him pout at Chiron's curt response. The boy was very handsome, one could say exceptionally so. He felt neither male nor female, instead appearing androgynous. Yet his words and manners were clearly belonged to a boy, something that I as a sister knew very well.

"It is good that you enjoy the hunt. Considering your future, it is better to be good at it than to be poor. But is it a hunter that you aim to become? No, you wish to be a hero. No one would recognize a brute as a hero. It is not enough to learn your letters. A man with no sense of music or decorum brings only shame to himself."

Despite his advice, it seemed the boy was still dissatisfied. With a difficult expression, he grumbled in affirmation. Although he could see the logic was correct and he should not speak out of selfishness, he also knew that the rest of his day would not be enjoyable. Seeing this, Chiron smiled wryly.

"However... being cooped up in a cave for an entire day must surely be unbearable torture to you. A compromise, then. Finish memorizing the rest of your words for today, and write them onto the slate. If you finish before nightfall, I will teach you how to fight in the dark."

"Really?!"

"There are some risks, but I am sure you will be all right. And of course, that is assuming you can remember all your words by dusk."

Naturally, the boy had no complaints. Laughing, Chiron put his hand on the head of the boy jumping for joy, who blushed but accepted it with a smile.

I felt envy for the boy – as well as shock. I knew that Chiron had a wife and daughters, but they were all close to divine beings. The boy, on the other hand, was overflowing with the radiance of humanity. However, Chiron's behavior towards the boy was exactly that of a loving father to his son.