The Thirsty Girl's Guide To Summoning (Fate/Isekai)

Chapter 12

After Cú vanished, Ren stared at where he'd been for a moment, and then let out a shaky breath. She stepped back until she bumped into the niche seat and sank into it, leaning back and closing her eyes. Cú's scent lingered, but she tried to disregard it as she worked on re-centering herself.

Her arms and legs still ached from the workout Merlin had put her through. Possibly they'd hurt worse tomorrow. If Cú could bring back meat, that would be good. Protein was an important part of a healthy diet. Her hands especially hurt, although she hadn't noticed when she'd been running them all over Cú's skin.

No, thinking about Cú was no good. Every time she did, she felt unsettled: humiliated, yearning, miserable. She had to think about something else. Merlin? But remembering his floral scent left her unsettled in a different way, even less palatable. If she meant to help the people here, she had to do more than just feel and react.

Artoria. Tora and Ritsu. They'd need a plan to defeat Artoria, preferably in such a way that they could capture the host and find out why she'd turned against the little sister who clearly still loved her. She furrowed her brow, her eyes still closed. Merlin had said she'd need somebody else, that Cú alone wouldn't be enough to defeat Artoria. Maybe with her last Command Seal and without Ritsu's Luck Projection... and surely Merlin was more handy in a fight than he'd implied? Once upon a time, he'd been essential to the victory for... someone.

She realized his floral scent was more than a figment of her memory and opened her eyes. He leaned in the archway of the kitchen, watching her. He smiled as she met his gaze, a smile that broadened as she sat bolt upright.

"I take it you... finished with Cú?"

Ren gave him an unfriendly look. "I did my best. He didn't get much of a recharge. If the hair-brushing thing really is supposed to work, I think I'm doing it wrong. Aren't you supposed to be teaching Ritsu?"

Merlin's eyes widened fractionally in a flicker of surprise before narrowing again. "Ah yes. I've left her practicing some exercises."

After waiting impatiently a moment for him to go on, Ren said, "Well? Was the hair brushing method just a joke?"

"Mmm? Oh! No, no. Ritsu demonstrated it to me just by stroking her familiar's fur. It's definitely less effective than the traditional Magical Paths. On the other hand, it seems to be an unbroken Mystery of this world-line that magical energy can be transferred purely through affectionate contact."

A shiver ran down Ren's spine and she pulled her knees up to her chest. "Why don't I have Magical Paths? Aren't they supposed to come with this?" She waved her hand, with its marred Command Seal pattern.

"I haven't figured out all the irregularities in this system yet," said Merlin lightly, and Ren cynically noted how much of a non-answer that was. But before she could call him on it, he tilted his head. "Do you feel that?"

A curl of panic wound through Ren's stomach. Did she feel what? Was she really going to be so useless here, too? She wasn't. She couldn't be. She tried to fight down the dread, but it only strengthened, until a bleak terror almost blotted out her vision.

"You do, I see," said Merlin, studying her face. "Shall we go see what it is?"

She tried to answer, tried to simply process what he said, but it took so much of her mind to keep suppressed the filth that wanted to rise and consume her.

Then Merlin was bending over her, his fingers lightly under her elbow, his smile gentle. "Come on. I think you've defeated this before, but I bet it was exhausting. May I help?"