school: mandricardo

[shaft]

Comments

[shaft]

And your age was...?

[duranduel]

I think I was...maybe in my early thirties? When I died. So you look younger than that.

[shaft]

You do not look like you're in your thirties.

[ ????????? ]

[duranduel]

Well, this body is definitely younger. I mean...I guess the Throne of Heroes was like, hey, why not...make the guy young...

[shaft]

[ Interesting. ]

I'm sure you're impressive, regardless of age. It could be a tactic to disarm your opponents by facing them against a young boy.

[duranduel]

[He squawks.]

Boy?! No!! I'm definitely an adult!! Young adult!

[shaft]

Well, on the inside are wizened with age surely. But on the outside... You look about 18?

[duranduel]

That's still not a "boy"...

[SIGHS]

Being a Servant is weird...

[shaft]

A servant? Why would you call yourself that?

[duranduel]

No, that's the official term. Servant with a capital S. That's what Heroic Spirits are also called.

[shaft]

Oh, is that so. I assume that means you also have a corresponding master...?

[duranduel]

Yep. That's how it works. And in general, Masters allow Servants to survive. So it's like...a mutual relationship.

[shaft]

"Allow"? [ That kind of ticks him off a little, but-

He guesses that maybe people who are dead don't quite have the same right to existing. ]

Interesting. And what is this relationship for?

[duranduel]

Yeah. They provide mana to continue our existence. I think that a Master can break a contract with a Servant whenever they want, though...I don't think that's wise. Servants can kill Masters, too, but they'll just disappear...

[A low huff.]

Typically? We're summoned for a certain kind of war.

[shaft]

[ Mana?? Ok... ]

I see. Do you enjoy it?

[duranduel]

...Well, that's hard to say. I mean, I guess its okay to be alive like this. And I get to be my Master's strength. That counts for something. But in general...well, it wasn't like I applied to be a Servant.

[shaft]

It is a difficult balance. The joy of once again tasting the sweetness of life, dampened by the inevitability of battle...

I'd be tired of fighting.

[duranduel]

There's good and bad with that, though. Servants don't remember their previous summonings.

For all I know, this could be the first time I've been summoned.

[shaft]

[ Well, he doesn't want to call Mandricardo's life sad, so. ]

That's a very interesting mechanism. Do you... miss your master then?

[duranduel]

I don't remember any previous Masters.

[So no sad feelings here!]

And my current one's alright.

[shaft]

So you're not eager to get home?

[duranduel]

...Home?

[There's an odd look from Mandricardo.]

It's been hundreds of years since "home" existed, I'm sure. Whatever there was of that kingdom is long gone.

[shaft]

Oh. [ Damn, he wasn't thinking. ] I guess that's true, I didn't think of it.

...

[duranduel]

[He shrugs - he's really not that broken up about it, but still, there's some kind of solemness to his tone.]

That's just how it is. History is history. You can't go back and really change things you did, even if it happened one year ago or hundreds of years ago.

[shaft]

You're not wrong in that. Time is a relentless beast with which we must all contend...

It's why I prefer to set my sighs on tomorrow.