This spell was not particularly difficult as self-hypnosis went, but even temporarily, most people were unwilling to carve their consciousness into meaningless fragments. Fewer still would do so voluntarily. Kiritsugu, however, simply considered it the most efficient method of rest and often used this magecraft.
Dreamless sleep felt like an instant to the senses. After three hours of mental recuperation, Kiritsugu Emiya opened his eyes, regained his composure in an extremely short time, slightly raised himself, and instinctively swept his gaze across his safehouse.
Almost instantly, his expression froze, and his body tensed. He did not dare move an inch.
While he had slept, someone had bypassed the vigilance of everyone else, even Saber, and infiltrated his safehouse.
The small traps he had set had been shifted, and several dark silhouettes had appeared in the blood-red sunset.
That shape, that outline—
They were bombs.
Half an hour later, the reception room was filled with a tense atmosphere. The invisible pressure nearly made Irisviel unable to breathe.
The cause of it all was several small cylindrical objects resting on the reception table.
They were trigger bombs, incredibly vicious thermal weapons against humans.
Standing beside the table, Kiritsugu Emiya's gaze was grim as he slightly moved his aching limbs.
To avoid setting off an explosion through any reckless movement, he had forced himself to remain half-raised. Through his contract with his Servant, he had Saber summon Maiya Hisau, who broke a hole through the wall to enter. Only then had they safely dismantled every bomb in the room.
"The analysis is complete. The bombs' tripwires were connected to the room's door. Their expected blast radius was limited; they would only destroy the bedroom." After dismantling one of the bombs, Maiya Hisau reached her conclusion.
"So it was an attack aimed solely at me..." Though he had just brushed past death, Kiritsugu Emiya's expression barely changed. He began pondering as if it had nothing to do with him, then asked, "By the way, Irisviel, have you mastered this forest's barrier formula?"
"Yes, no problem. I didn't find any flaws in the barrier, and both the alarm and patrol functions were operating normally... I'm sorry."
"It's fine. The larger a barrier formula is, the more flaws it has. If someone focused on infiltration, it would be normal for them to breach it." After casually comforting her, Kiritsugu Emiya continued thinking.
"The curse on Saber has yet to be lifted, so was Lancer's Master here for revenge? No, he is an orthodox magus. To him, using bombs would itself be an insult. Archer's Master is the same."
"Rider's Master? No. Setting aside that brat, Rider's personality would not allow him to do something like that."
"Berserker's Master is suspected to be a member of the Matou family, but the Einzbern family has no grudge against the Matou family. The possibility of him finding this castle and attacking me in this manner is extremely low."
That left only two answers...
Such an obvious conclusion cast shadows over both Kiritsugu Emiya's and Irisviel's faces.
Assassin's Master, Kirei Kotomine.
Caster's Master, Sakutsuki.
It was almost laughable. These two were publicly acknowledged as weak classes in the Holy Grail War, yet they had placed immense pressure on Kiritsugu Emiya, who possessed Saber, the strongest class. Whether it was Kirei Kotomine, who possessed the elusive Assassin, had considerable combat ability himself, and had nearly captured Maiya Hisau, or Sakutsuki, whose own strength rivaled a Servant and who mysteriously grasped Kiritsugu Emiya's every move, both were dangerous enemies in Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes.
Sakutsuki's base was unknown, and even Caster, who could barely be called his weakness, was a girl capable of running Assassin through with a single thrust. Kiritsugu Emiya had not yet found a suitable opportunity to strike. Kirei Kotomine, however, was different. He had lied that Assassin was dead and openly hidden in the Holy Church for protection.
Assassin had been captured, and the contract with Kirei Kotomine had been severed several hours ago. The Holy Church would not be foolish enough to announce that Assassin had "truly" died this time, either. Thus, aside from Sakutsuki, the other Masters remained in the dark, still believing Kirei Kotomine held Assassin, the trump card of information warfare.
With a helpless, heavy sigh, Kiritsugu exhaled purple smoke from his lungs.
Even Irisviel did not know that he and Maiya had hidden a tanker truck undergoing modification in a rented garage in the neighboring town. As a cheap yet lethal weapon favored by terrorists, it was his trump card against the possibility of Matou or Tohsaka adopting a siege strategy. If he sent that thing crashing into Fuyuki Church, where Kirei Kotomine was hiding, no matter how formidable the Executors were, they would not withstand it...
Shaking his head, Kiritsugu Emiya threw the chaotic thoughts from his mind and regained his calm.
The urgent matter was not those two potential foes, but a far more definite and dangerous fact.
"Irisviel, pack our things and prepare to evacuate. Our base has been exposed."
"...All right." After a brief silence, Irisviel rose and left. Before walking out of the reception room, she looked back at Kiritsugu Emiya with eyes full of apology.
In the end, she still did not voice her suspicion.
It had nothing to do with theory or logic. It was simply a woman's intuition—the bombs had been planted by Sakutsuki.
Not to kill her husband, but merely as a malicious warning, like a hunter in the jungle deliberately releasing his prey for the sake of a more entertaining hunt.
Look, I've already found you.
Keep running. Keep running... until the moment I catch you again.
Until then, carry your panic and fear, move your legs, and run with all your might.
That young man with golden eyes was, in some sense, as cold and cruel as Kiritsugu Emiya.
Since both had risen for the sake of their own wishes, they should both give it everything they had. There was no need to hold anything back.
It was merely a matter of staking their lives. Once that wish surpassed everything in their lives thus far, death was no longer worth fearing.
When words that sounded so stirring truly became reality, Irisviel once again felt deep unease.
It was not unease for a friend, but worry for her husband as his wife.
Could Kiritsugu... truly survive a clash with Kirei Kotomine and Sakutsuki?
She had barely taken a few steps when the argument erupting from the meeting room pulled Irisviel back.
"Kiritsugu Emiya, you are insulting Heroic Spirits. I was summoned to shed blood in your place, to minimize sacrifice, to stand against armies with one person, to bear fate and decide victory or defeat... That is the meaning of our existence as Servants. So why are you unwilling to leave the battle to me?!"
The blonde girl demanded loudly, her green eyes blazing with anger.
"Your attack on Lancer's Master and Sakutsuki last night was the same! If anything had gone wrong, it would have become an irreparable tragedy. Even without such methods, Lancer has already promised to fight me again! Not to mention that Sakutsuki and his Caster will not be our enemies! Or is it that you, Kiritsugu, do not trust your own Servant? Do you not trust me?!"
Faced with the Knight King's rebuke, the Magus Killer did not answer. He merely continued silently packing his equipment—even though such behavior would only further intensify the conflict between him and his Servant. His expressionless face seemed like a mask, making Irisviel feel deeply repulsed.
That was not the Kiritsugu she knew.
Doubts had to be corrected.
If the person she loved did something wrong, she had to be the first to stand up and fight his mistakes.
Even though we have become enemies, your words are still guiding me, Sakutsuki...
Irisviel closed her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, a sudden palpitation in her chest made her entire body tense.
The forest barrier formula she had only recently mastered repeatedly sent intense pulses through her Magic Circuits.
It was an alarm.
Someone had invaded Einzbern Forest.
The stench of battle had blown into the forest even earlier than expected.
The black-armored, faceless Berserker threw back his head and roared, forcing broken words from his chaotic soul.
"...Ar...thur..."
Whose name was he calling from within that consciousness twisted beyond reason?
Even the most resourceful strategist could not draw a conclusion from such fragmented clues, but Berserker's Master understood it better than anyone.
He had discarded his pride and dignity, defiled his soul and character, and willingly assumed this ugly form for no reason other than to pursue that figure.
"So we really are alike..." Kariya Matou sighed. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt that concealed his face, he stretched out a hand and gently pushed the black-armored knight forward.
"Go. Do what you want to do."
His Master's strength was insignificant, yet red light flared in the Servant's eyes. Like a shell leaving a cannon, he tore through the air and charged toward Einzbern Castle.
"Arthur—!!!"
Behind him, his Master silently turned and disappeared down the road he had come from.
"Found him."
The members of the Einzbern camp gathered in the reception room once more. Before Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Saber, Irisviel projected the image of the intruder captured by the barrier onto a crystal ball.
Silent black plates of armor danced. The black mist staining the armor seemed saturated with resentment as it coiled through the branches and leaves.
"Berserker. A participant from the Matou family..." Kiritsugu Emiya frowned.
This completely contradicted his expectations. The one who had discovered the Einzbern base should have been either Sakutsuki or Kirei. As founders of the Holy Grail System, the Matou and Einzbern families had no reason to become enemies from the beginning.
Or had Berserker's Master allied with someone?
"Berserker has entered the interference range of the Area Effect," Irisviel said calmly.
"Hold off the intruder until we evacuate."
"Understood." Irisviel immediately understood his intent. "Saber, defeat Berserker."
"Yes." The Knight King's reply was exceedingly brief. By the time the others heard her voice, Saber had already vanished from the reception room. Only the fading gust behind her spoke of her resolve.
The moment Saber left, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had been silently organizing his weapons, spoke.
"Maiya, take Irisviel and leave the castle. Head in the opposite direction from Saber."
Having received the order, Maiya nodded without a word. Irisviel, however, could not hide the surprise on her face.
"I can't... stay here?"
"Since Saber is fighting far away, this castle is no longer safe either. Someone may have the same idea I do."
After Saber left, someone might indeed want to attack the Master left in the castle and reap the benefits. If one wanted to kill a Master, the best opportunity was when the Master and Servant were acting separately.
Between a Master protected by a Servant and a Master guarding their own workshop, which would be easier to deal with? If Kiritsugu had to judge, he would choose the latter. If another magus reached the same conclusion, then upon seeing Saber fighting alone, they would target Irisviel, who remained in the castle.
After briefly explaining his reasoning, Kiritsugu Emiya fastened various grenades and small pouches containing magazines of cursed bullets one by one onto the straps beneath his coat. He did not look at all like a magus preparing for battle.
But anyone familiar with Kiritsugu would understand the extent of the Magus Killer's resolve upon seeing his Mystic Code—the single-shot mage gun holstered at his waist.
Her husband had only just met with her before leaving to act alone again, which made Irisviel uneasy. She worried even more after learning that Kiritsugu had concealed his unstable mental state from her. Yet she also knew that accompanying him would only get in his way.
But there were other reasons behind her unease.
"..."
After calmly examining her own thoughts, Irisviel finally understood. What unsettled her was not being separated from Kiritsugu, but acting together with Maiya. From Kiritsugu's perspective, he wanted Maiya to protect Irisviel. Yet deep down, Irisviel still could not completely shake off her instinctive resistance toward Maiya.
Yes, she had felt it from the beginning—the woman in black who had said nothing, both earlier and now, and left everything for Kiritsugu to handle. This person was another reason Irisviel felt so melancholy.
The cold and merciless side her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, had displayed during today's meeting had made even Irisviel, who had lived with him day and night for nine years, feel fear and even disgust.
There was no humanity, no morality, no duty as a magus—only tactics calculated according to the equation of survival of the fittest, like a killing machine. Having discarded the warmth she cherished, every word and action displayed by the Magus Killer now felt unfamiliar to Irisviel.
Yet during this meeting, Maiya Hisau had remained utterly unmoved and silent throughout. To her, the current Kiritsugu was probably the original one—the Kiritsugu Emiya she knew best.
Could it be that the person closest to Kiritsugu Emiya was not his wife, but Maiya Hisau...?
Did she harbor something like jealousy in her heart?
Even so, Irisviel was not so childish as to oppose Kiritsugu's decision because of such personal feelings.
"I understand."
As she lowered her head dejectedly, a new stabbing sensation flashed through her Magic Circuits.
It was fresh feedback from the forest's surveillance barrier.
"What is it, Irisviel?"
"...Kiritsugu, someone else has entered."
Saber became a silver gale, racing through the forest.
Her dispute with Kiritsugu had already been cast from her mind. Once she stepped onto the battlefield, her mind became like a sword. A sharp blade capable of cutting gold and jade, pure and flawless, without the slightest confusion or hesitation.
Though the wound on her left hand had yet to heal, the weapon she relied on most had never been a Noble Phantasm, but conviction.
The girl had always held honor in her heart, fighting her way here with integrity as her creed.
With such proud conviction, even the white dragon that ruled Britannia would be cut down by the holy sword in her hand.
A Servant's speed carried her several kilometers in mere minutes, and the black-armored Berserker had already entered her sight.
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