Fate/Brothers in Destiny

Chapter 3: Artificial Intellect

FATE/BROTHERS IN DESTINY

Chapter 3: Artificial Intellect

The following morning, Ritsuka employed Connla as one of her Servants to fight against Archer-class Ember Hands. These monsters dropped materials that Ritsuka could use to boost her Servants' strength, but she needed to choose the appropriate Servants to fight each class type of Ember Hand. She often chose Connla as her Lancer due to her Noble Phantasm affecting every enemy on the field. Even though it tired the child Servant every time she used it, she believed she just needed practice to improve her stamina.

Once they finished hunting as many Ember Hands as they could, Ritsuka and Connla returned to Chaldea's simulator. Ritsuka patted the girl's head and said, "Good work. Thanks for your help as always."

"It's nothing. This is to make up for me not being useful for the last while," Connla murmured.

"I told you over and over again not to worry about that. No one wants you to push yourself too hard."

"I know that, Master. It's just... I have no idea why I had such a vivid dream of myself in another world."

"That sure was mysterious. I wonder what caused that to happen."

"I really don't know. I just hope it doesn't occur again, but... For some reason, I feel like I can't make any promises..."

"It's okay. Don't beat yourself up if it happens again. Even if you're incapacitated, I still have plenty of Servants who can assist me with the Grand Orders."

"Hmm..." Connla mumbled to herself. She looked up at Ritsuka and asked, "Master?"

"What is it?" the Magus leaned down.

"I know I'm just a trainee compared to your other Lancers like Father, Lord Karna and Sir Diarmuid, but... Do you think I'll ever be as good as them?"

"What are you talking about? You are as good as them!"

"Am I?" the child wondered, appearing unconvinced of Ritsuka's optimism.

The teenager chuckled and said, "Cu Alter was right. He told me that you tend to ask a bunch of deep questions whenever you're tired. He says it's a bad habit that you need to learn to kick."

"Alter said that?" Connla blinked. "Uh... I guess I do. Maybe I'm more worn out than I thought."

"See? It's called a bad habit because you don't know you're doing it unless someone else points it out for you. I'm done hunting for Embers today, so I'll be bringing some Riders with me to the Treasure Vault later. Take it easy and relax for now. I'll need your help for the next Archer rotation though."

"Sure."

****

In his private quarters, which doubled as an engineering research laboratory, the Caster-class Servant known as Charles Babbage carefully examined the many parts that comprised an Automata doll strewn across the table. Known as the King of Steam, or the Father of the Computer, Babbage was a renowned mathematician who invented the first computers in the world – the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine. His dream was to create a world that ran off of steam power, but he died before he could accomplish it. To compensate for this as a Servant, he surrounded himself in a Reality Marble that made him appear as a monstrous steam-powered robot, though no one was able to see what his true face looked like.

Regardless, Babbage's incredible intellect and knack for understanding machines was a valuable asset to Chaldea, so no one paid any mind to his eccentric desire to alter his body to live his dream out. At the moment, he was analyzing the parts to an enemy that he had taken care of earlier because he had never seen assassin dolls that operated on miniature steam engines. It was the result of a hypothetical version of himself who truly became the King of Steam in an alternate world, where the way of knowledge and intelligence dominated war and chivalry to the point that this other Babbage would send assassins to kill anyone who plotted to overthrow his dream world through violence.