Everyone Apparently Likes Married Women

"Master, I remember that my operating principle was to avoid exposing my whereabouts whenever possible."

"That's right."

"Then what did you mean by letting me appear in this woman's sight?"

"It doesn't matter. As Einzbern's Lesser Grail, she already knew you hadn't been eliminated."

"But this is so blatant..."

"Don't worry about unnecessary things. Just complete the task I assigned you."

"Interrogate a captive? And an unarmed woman at that! Master, even as an Assassin, I have my own bottom line!"

"Heh heh..."

Irisviel listened in trembling terror to the conversation between Kirei Kotomine and the masked figure he had summoned—who was almost certainly the Assassin that had faked his death. It seemed her attitude had left the priest at a loss, so he wanted Assassin to interrogate her.

She did not know whether the situation was good or bad. When Kirei Kotomine had subdued her earlier, she had thought something like, At least it can't get any worse than this. But after the Servant appeared, she could not help feeling afraid. The infamous leader of the Assassin sect—what methods would such an existence, practically an "Anti-Heroic Spirit," possess? Even imagining it sent chills down her spine.

But judging from their conversation, this "Old Man of the Mountain" unexpectedly had principles. He was unwilling to assault a woman with no combat ability—

"She won't talk? That's simple. You can just charge in with your weapon drawn. Don't chicken out—just do it. As long as you're well-endowed and good at it, make her lose herself in pleasure, and there'll be nothing you can't get out of her."

She took back what she had just thought. This Assassin was absolutely the worst kind.

"A woman who refuses to compromise even in such desperate circumstances—there are only a few possible sources for that strength of will, and the most likely one must be love. The power that bursts forth from deeply loving someone is immensely strong. But destroying it isn't difficult, either. Just tear apart, ravage, and grind that pure longing into ashes. Heh heh..."

"..."

"If you have your way with her, then no matter how much she deceives herself, this woman's psychological defenses will inevitably crack—especially a pure, inexperienced type like her. The results will definitely be even more obvious. And as long as you open a hole in that seemingly sturdy shell, infiltrating it will be inevitable."

"..."

"What is it, Master? What are you hesitating over? By the standards of any culture, this woman should be utterly alluring, shouldn't she? You can satisfy your physical needs and get the answers you want at the same time. What are you still waiting for? Or do you have some unspeakable problem?"

"..."

"Oh ho ho... I understand. I never expected that Master, who looks so robust, is actually... Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Master, I happen to know an herbal prescription. It's quite effective. Why don't we take this woman back, then take our time? Heh heh heh heh—"

As someone manufactured to serve as the Lesser Grail, Irisviel was not afraid of death. Her husband, her daughter, and the ideals she shared with her husband were enough to support her through the fear of dying. But if the other side's actions were to defile the things most precious to her, then she could no longer be quite so confident in her own willpower.

The expressionless priest turned his head toward her. In his eyes, Irisviel saw a glint of "interest."

"What do I do? Help me, Kiritsugu, Ilya..."

"Hmm, so you're Saber? You look quite capable. How about it? Want to join my expeditionary army? I'm willing to share with you the joy of conquering the world."

Saber warily watched the burly man who had descended from the sky in a chariot. Although his actions had indeed saved her just now, that did not mean the two of them were allies. In this war, there was no such thing as an alliance.

While Saber stood there on guard, the burly man acted as if he could not sense the tension at all and casually greeted her. The first thing out of his mouth was something both ridiculous and absurd.

Since Kiritsugu had already seen Rider's ridiculousness firsthand, Saber had been mentally prepared—there was no need to elaborate on the awkward exchange between the two—but even so, Saber could not help wanting to rub her forehead at Rider's sheer nerve.

"Although I appreciate your righteous act in helping me earlier, let us forget your absurd proposal."

Saber, who was not in a particularly good mood, spoke with a touch of irritation.

"Don't say that. We can discuss the terms—"

What cut off Rider's next words in his throat was a frigid flash of Saber's sword.

Slash!

The blade of wind severed a tentacle that had tried to sneak up on Rider from behind. It also frightened Weber, who had poked his head out of the chariot because he thought it was safe, into ducking back inside.

"You might as well discuss your terms with these demons. Perhaps they'll be willing to accept them. But what would you use to pay them? Caster's bounty probably won't do, will it?"

The Sea Demons gathering around them once more silently conveyed one fact: their master had not yet died. Realizing this, Rider put away his frivolous attitude and, like Saber, swept his sharp gaze around their surroundings.

If one were to ask how many life-and-death dangers he had experienced, the personal history of the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, would have been enough to make a film series comparable to the "James Bond" franchise. With experience as extensive as his, danger in the ordinary sense had long since lost its meaning.

Speaking only of crises, he had survived countless situations where life and death had hung on a single thought. The current situation was simply incomparable to those.

Yet this was the first time he had ever felt so powerless.

There were no Magi steeped in heretical arts, no ingeniously constructed traps, no unfathomable magecraft or familiars, and no complex, shifting environment. If one had to say, he had analyzed and studied the enemy magus countless times already. The battlefield was his own home ground, his equipment was complete, and his ammunition was plentiful. If his past operations had begun with such a foundation, victory could practically have been declared from the start.

Yet the truth was that he had been forced to flee in every direction, without even time to launch a counterattack that might hinder his opponent. He was like a hunted rat. The "cat" acting as hunter, meanwhile, leisurely strolled through the enemy's courtyard, in no hurry to deliver a fatal blow, treating this battle as a game.

The enemy's defenses did not have the slightest flaw. His tracking skills and strategic planning were equally perfect. Behind that seemingly unhurried attitude lay a sinister tactic of slowly boiling the frog. As he drove Kiritsugu away head-on with that huge drill, the streams of mercury that had scattered along the corridors earlier must already have spread throughout the entire castle, gradually completing the final encirclement and waiting only for the instant when Kiritsugu had nowhere left to run.

Even in that distant past, when he had only just started out, had almost no experience, and had to rely entirely on Natalia, he had never faced such a helpless situation.

Silver liquid had begun to seep through the cracks of the wooden door at the end of the passageway where Kiritsugu Emiya stood. Behind him, the sound of the drill grinding through the air, accompanied by leisurely footsteps, was drawing closer and closer—was it time to close the net?

But even in this desperate situation, trapped between wolf and tiger, the Magus Killer did not give up. Raised from the beginning as a weapon, he had developed the habit of always keeping something in reserve, even if it seemed impossible that he would ever need it.

"To be driven into such a state so soon after the beginning... It truly is the Holy Grail War."

The controller of the mercury Mystic Code had already turned the corner and entered this corridor. He would only get one chance—

"Ah... ah..."

"Here... ah!"

"It hurts... don't... please be gentler..."

In an unknown corner deep within the forest, a pitch-black figure was running her hands over a silver-haired woman lying on the ground. The latter's clothes had already been thrown into disarray. Though she was not completely naked, the vaguely revealed sight was all the more capable of stirring desire in one's heart. Combined with the misty moans escaping her enticing cherry-like lips, no one who witnessed this scene could possibly keep a clear mind.

"Ah... ah..."

"I'm saying—"

"Ah... ngh..."

"So I'm saying—"

"Here... not there..."

"I told you not to make such strange noises, didn't I? I'm only treating your injuries! If you keep crying out like that, people are going to get the wrong idea! Censorship is so strict right now, and there are so many people ready to report us. If we get censored, I won't even know where to cry about it!"

As though it were an objective law governing the development of all things, fanservice could not possibly appear so openly. The truth behind the above scene was that Jizi was treating Irisviel, who had been beaten to within an inch of her life by the mapo priest. She merely needed to use her ability to create recovery items like the "bandages" commonly seen in RPGs. As for why she did not use an "Ancient Potion," even draining all of the mapo priest's Mana would not have produced half of one.

And as for why she did not use a convenient oral recovery item like a "Potion"—heh heh, you understand.

The treatment was remarkably effective. The wounds beneath the bandages healed at a visible rate, and even the pain subsided. However, there was still no way to remove the fatigue from her muscles. Assassin has some unknown medical method, Irisviel silently noted down this piece of information. Though she did not know whether she would have a chance to return to Kiritsugu's side, she still did everything in her power to do anything that might possibly help him.

Of course, she could not know that treatment by Kirei Kotomine would have been even more efficient. But the mapo priest, who still had some principles for the moment, had handed the task to Jizi, a "woman," in order to avoid suspicion, even though doing so consumed more Mana.

Those strange moans from earlier? Jizi had merely touched her wounds while putting on the bandages.

Irisviel's injuries had mostly recovered. Once she calmed down, she began seriously considering the fate she would face. That insane Assassin's insane suggestion had not been adopted by the priest, who still had principles for the moment. He had even treated her injuries.

Why go to such trouble to preserve an enemy's life? Irisviel did not believe that "the Lord's mercy" had moved that priest. The only possibility was that they had seen some value in using her.

It's useless. You don't understand Kiritsugu at all. Whether you use me to threaten him or kill me, you will not shake his resolve.

She looked contemptuously at the priest standing with his back to her. A person like him would never understand it. Never.

Even if she eventually failed to withstand their torture and revealed information detrimental to Kiritsugu, she believed he would have already taken appropriate countermeasures before then. Kiritsugu, I can only believe in you...

When the Einzbern princess was shamefully treated by Assassin and then abducted, the only thing she did was encourage herself with the name of the man she loved.

This chapter serves as proof that I am one of the group. I had no real-life activities today; I spent the daytime writing, then attended the group branch's fire-magic exchange drill in the evening.

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.