[center][h2]Theseus[/h2]
[h3]Shinto Town, Canals[/h3][/center]

His Master was suitably impressed. Very good, it would not do to be called by a magus who saw him as only a tool to be wielded, or dismissed him out of hand.

He was willing to do many things, but the fact of the matter was that as a legend of man, Saber still had the ‘pride of a hero’. In that regard, they had started on the right foot, and for that alone, he would be willing to give his services to the boy before him.

That’s right, he would do so! Else his name wasn’t Sab—

…Huh?   
 
Oh…oh dear, so it was like that?

Saber tried to find even the slightest inkling of deception, but the boy’s eyes told him he was being earnest, and genuinely confused about his statements thus far. And then, he was hit full force by the realization that he had been working under a terrible misunderstanding of the circumstances.

The one who had called him forth had not done so out of any intention to join a battle for a wish-granting device, but on pure accident. And now, he was likely to be targeted because of it, in spite of his own ignorance.

…He wanted to laugh, just a bit. If it wasn’t one thing that was the problem, another would rear is head. That was always the problem with him, no?

Go slay a monster, only for it to turn out to have been just a child. Find someone you love, only to lose them to your own stupidity.

Answer a call desiring to finally lay the past to rest, only succeed in bringing about new regrets. Perhaps that was just his fate — hadn’t the Oracle told his father he would die of grief should he be born?

“...I guess I’m just bad luck.” He let out a chuckle, arms folded as he looked at the confused Master.

If he had to guess, he was indeed as inexperienced as he looked, as well. That meant their chances only dwindled further. Saber’s own desire suddenly felt hopelessly out of reach. But even so…

His disposition changed.

To begin with, he had also been approaching this matter from the wrong starting point. He had thought he would be summoned by a proper magus who would have commanded and worked with him to obtain the Holy Grail, but much like this revelation would change how he had to approach the matter of the War, it also necessarily had to change how he approached the relationship.

He had not been called by a man seeking to trample over others for the sake of their wish — and that was what this ritual was at its core, no matter how noble the wish one fights for might be.

He had been called by someone on accident, who had gotten involved in this deathmatch and now Saber would be their lifeline.

Very well, then. He put aside the thoughts of his desired meetings, the disappointment that it would be unlikely that he saw them through and the heartache it brought.

Instead of a warrior answering the call for glory—

“Ah, my name’s actually not Saber. Athens’ Peerles Heroic King, the son of Poseidon, Theseus, at your service,” The smile turned into something far gentler compared to the boisterous smirk he had sported moments prior. “And I feel like we have a lot to talk about, Master.”

—He will once again be a hero for someone else’s sake.

[@Yankee]