"The tranquil dreamland was stirred by the birdsong outside the window, but can a Robin sing in a vacuum?"

"The Robin appeared in the Herta Space Station at some unknown point, and Miss Note slowly walked past her."

"'Let us tell the story of a bird, a bird unjustly imprisoned. She was once a singer, thrown into an iron cage for composing songs disliked by the powerful. In her cell, the bird heard many sounds of lament. So, she sang for those caged with her, comforting their homesickness and inspiring their will to revolt.'"

"Miss Note took out an old, worn photograph. Though blurry, it still showed her singing on stage in her youth."

"'Eventually, the bird, along with a pocket watch, a wolf, and countless companions, broke free from the cage.'"

"'The bird thought that after gaining freedom, she could start a new life. She could display her beautiful feathers and voice on stage and screen, bringing hope to the dispossessed as she once did. But... she was wrong. Penacony quickly became unrecognizable. The songs the bird sang, the movies she appeared in, and her own life were all locked in a cage called money, becoming commodities.'"

"'The film company wanted to mold the bird into a beautiful symbol, but the bird wanted to fly away from this suffocating cesspool... So they took away its stage name, found a new fledgling to replace her on screen, and then strangled her in a dishonorable end with dirty rumors and speculation.'"

— —

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

"Old Oti did all of this, didn't he? Even if Old Oti didn't do it, he certainly had a hand in it."

The bonfire crackled in the night, illuminating four faces with different expressions. Stark was the first to break the silence, his expression confused, "But why would Miss Note still team up with Old Oti? She clearly hates people like him the most."

Zane stroked his chin: "The key is still her wish. I guess she wants to take revenge on those people from back then?"

"Revenge... After a thousand years, there would only be a pile of graves left, wouldn't there? How could she take revenge on a group of dead people? At most, she could only set her revenge on Old Oti," Fern said indifferently, "If it was revenge, then she should have tried to attack Old Oti's head with magic the first time she saw him."

Was it to clear her tarnished name from back then? To leave a pristine reputation in Penacony's history?

Fern was a bit puzzled. For her, a Heroic Spirit without even a name, even if she was a dazzling star a thousand years ago, in the highly developed entertainment industry of Penacony, stars like her had been replaced countless times... Would anyone truly care about a figure from a thousand years ago, who would only appear in history books?

— —

"'...So, you want to get revenge on those who brought you dishonor?'"

Miss Note calmly shook her head: "Quite the opposite... When I returned to this world, I found I had no one left to get revenge on. So I will reclaim the name that was stolen from me, erase all works belonging to me... and make all traces of my existence as a ███ disappear."

"Since you were once imprisoned and robbed... then now you should not confine all the Masters and Servants who came to end this Holy Grail War within a Noble Phantasm. Mr. Otti might be able to grant your wish, but he demands a much higher price. You, who lived in the same era as him, know this better than I do."

"Heh..." Miss Note let out a cold laugh, "Otti is a worm that gnaws at Penacony; he is certainly not to be trusted. But Master, he is just a worm who seeks the Holy Grail... and you, the Holy Grail cannot buy your mind."

"You want me to release the Noble Phantasm? Then command me with your Command Spell! Master, just as those people used contracts and laws to take away my name and career, come on!"

"You know I won't do that, Miss Note!...Let's make a bet, though I've never bet on anything in my life." The Robin vowed, "I bet those Masters and Servants whose heroic facades you've stripped away will never be trapped by your Noble Phantasm—I have faith in them!"

Miss Note's lips curved into a smile, and she bowed slightly towards the Robin: "...Then, we shall see."

— —

fate / zero.

"Saber..." Irisviel turned to look at Saber beside her in disbelief, "Is that truly what you think? About those thoughts of being a 'King,' those burdens, and responsibilities..."

Kiritsugu Emiya said nothing, merely gazed calmly out the window, the cigarette between his fingers silently burning, accumulating a long ash. He didn't want to say much about Saber's ideals as a king, but he never expected that the first time he truly understood his Servant would be through the Saber on Celestial Screen.

"Yes, Irisviel."

Artoria took a deep breath, sensing the worry in the other's gaze, and nodded solemnly.

"As a King, I should be flawless, leading Britain to prosperity. I never regretted pulling out the Sword of Selection; that was my responsibility and destiny. However..." Her voice faltered for a moment, "After witnessing irreversible sacrifices, I did indeed think... if there were a wiser, more benevolent choice, perhaps Britain's fate could have sailed on a different course, becoming an eternal ideal land."

"I will do everything possible to save the Britain I failed to protect. Although it's spoken through another 'me,' this is also my wish in this Holy Grail War."

"Pfft..."

Irisviel suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Hmm... Irisviel, does my wish amuse you?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry..." Irisviel waved her hand, handing Saber a cup of brewed black tea, "I was thinking this is the first time I've heard Saber speak her true feelings. Although it's not spoken by 'you,' this feeling... is truly a bit strange. I'm seeing a completely different you than usual."

— —

"(I seem to have had a strange dream, but I can't recall the details... My body feels so heavy, but no, I still have work to do today.)"

Star no longer remembered how long she had been working at the Herta Space Station, thirty days, ninety days, or even longer? She was already familiar with all the Staff Members' research project applications, but even after easily completing her work, the image of the Astral Express still lingered in her mind, unable to be erased for a long time.

"(They're leaving soon, and I want to leave...)"

But whenever Star had such a thought, a tide-like sensation of strangeness would surge from all directions, forcibly altering her will.

"I want to stay."

If you board the Astral Express, only terrifying unknowns and dangers await you. Your achievements will eventually be forgotten, and your journey will eventually reach its end.

"I long for an ordinary life."

She was happy to choose to stay here, living a peaceful and comfortable life without tickets, without a baseball bat, and without danger.

The work at hand delayed too much time, one day, two days, ten days...

"(Perhaps I will never catch up with the Astral Express again.)"