Ribbons formed from Mana wove themselves into a spike and stabbed viciously toward the back of Kirei Kotomine's neck.
No matter how strong this priest was, there was no way he could dodge at this distance, right?
This strike contained all of Irisviel's Mana at her current stage. If even this couldn't bring him down—no, it definitely could!
Time seemed to have deliberately slowed. The Einzbern homunculus clearly saw the tip of the spike touch Kirei Kotomine's body. In less than a thousandth of a second, it would pierce through him—
What was going on?
The spike stopped in midair.
A hand that had appeared from nowhere gripped the spike tightly. No matter how much force was applied, it could not move even an inch.
"So it still failed..."
Irisviel collapsed backward as if she had given up on everything, but the person who had thwarted her plan supported her body from behind before she could fall.
"Why are you here?"
The man ahead stopped walking but did not turn around as he asked directly.
"Of course, I sensed that my master was in danger... Don't worry, I haven't neglected my duties. Caster hasn't escaped my tracking."
That was the answer he received.
"Why did you expose your presence?"
"I was afraid something would happen to my master, so I acted in haste."
"...Do your own job properly."
The one who had suddenly revealed herself, released her presence to stop the two knights fighting nearby, and ruined Irisviel's counterattack was naturally Jizi, who had vanished for so long and become so forgettable that even the author was close to forgetting her.
After giving Kirei Kotomine an utterly ridiculous excuse, Jizi showed no intention of leaving. Supporting Irisviel, she followed behind Kirei Kotomine and headed toward the edge of the forest.
The mission was done anyway—Caster's whereabouts had already been known, and Saber and Lancer had ultimately stopped fighting because of her presence. That counted as a result.
Kirei Kotomine did not seem to mind some of his Servant's "disobedient" behavior. Ever since talking with Gilgamesh a few times, he seemed to have begun changing. Before, he had merely asked Jizi about the meaning behind every action as a matter of routine. Now, he appeared to let her do as she pleased while secretly watching her.
This curious observation was an extremely dangerous thing for Jizi—wouldn't you be scared if you were watched by a gaze full of pleasure? And as the number of times she acted independently increased, the curiosity hidden within that gaze grew stronger.
The reason he merely observed instead of interfering was because he did not want external factors to influence her behavior.
Just as a theatergoer would not point fingers at the actors performing onstage.
Jizi had sensed something as well, so she tried her best to reduce the time she spent interacting with Kirei Kotomine. But in a battle like today's, there was naturally no avoiding him.
And just now, she had acted rashly again because of Irisviel—the latter was currently draped limply over Jizi's shoulder, barely walking with her support. Whenever she looked at Jizi, resentment and anger would show in her eyes.
I was saving your life, okay?! Did you really think Mapo hadn't noticed? He's someone who can trade blows one-handed with Kiritsugu running at quadruple speed. If I hadn't stopped you and given Mapo a reason to make a move against you, the consequences would've been serious... Heh, fine if you don't thank me, but you're still giving me that look?
Naturally, those were only Jizi's private complaints. On the surface, she maintained the solemn image of a Servant and reported the current situation to her master as they moved.
"Rider has left the forest, but his presence hasn't gone far. Lancer and Saber reached a ceasefire agreement and each went to help their own master. Caster's filthy Mana is still very obvious. We can follow it directly to his lair."
"Mm. After escorting the prisoner back, go search for him."
"Kiritsugu..."
The trio, each harboring their own thoughts, left the Einzbern forest.
-----------------Interlude---------------------------------------
"With your skill, you are certainly not some obscure nobody," the handsome Lancer said to the knight he had just been fighting to the death. "This time, for various reasons, we could not fight to our hearts' content. Next time, I hope we can settle victory and defeat fairly and openly."
"Fairly and openly?" The blond swordsman gave his injured master basic first aid while replying in a self-mocking tone. "Can it still be called a knight's duel when we cannot even exchange names?"
"This is one regret of Heroic Spirits chosen by the Holy Grail, but my master has not forbidden me from doing so—so listen well." He held his spear before him in salute. "I am Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, first knight of the Knights of Fianna. I look forward to our next clash!"
After saying that, Lancer moved to leave, but Saber stopped him. "Wait! Since you have the courage to announce your name, I must naturally answer with the proper courtesy."
She turned to look at the unconscious Kiritsugu—he could not give her orders now anyway—then held her invisible sword before her chest. "I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Britain. Knight, I too look forward to our next duel!"
And in the sky not far away, a bold voice muttered to itself, "King Arthur and the Knight of the Radiant Face? Along with that golden king from earlier, none of them are ordinary."
"But that is precisely why they are worth conquering! Hahahahahahahaha!"
----------------------Wife Acquired------------------------------------------------
"Food's ready."
"Oh."
"Want some water?"
"Oh."
"Do you need anything?"
"..."
What were you supposed to do after catching a wild... no, a domesticated wife?
This was actually a deeply profound research question, containing complicated professional knowledge from philosophy, sociology, psychology, criminology, management, art, physiological health, and many other fields.
Kirei Kotomine clearly did not possess the professional qualifications to integrate all those disciplines, so he merely placed Irisviel under simple house arrest. As for the location, the Church was still a major organization in Fuyuki City, so finding a house was an easy matter.
What was he going to do after putting her under house arrest? Jizi could not quite figure out her master's intentions. As someone aligned with The Three Families, he definitely knew the purpose of the Einzbern homunculus, so killing her was not an option. Normally, he should have used her as leverage to propose terms of exchange to Kiritsugu Emiya.
Yet Kirei Kotomine showed no such intention. After symbolically asking Irisviel a few harmless questions, he ignored her completely. Thus, Jizi could only take on the task of bringing her food and water.
And the way these two got along was more or less as shown above—Irisviel would not give Jizi a pleasant expression, though the latter truly bore her no ill will.
After confirming that all the restraints on the prisoner were intact, Jizi shrugged and left.
As for whether Kiritsugu Emiya would use Command Seals to forcibly transfer Saber here and rescue Irisviel, neither Jizi nor Kirei Kotomine was particularly worried.
Because she understood his behavioral patterns well, Jizi was certain that Kiritsugu Emiya would fear the other side using Irisviel to set a trap and wait for Saber to teleport in. As for Kirei Kotomine, he seemed to have another reason.
Could it be that he isn't unconcerned about Airi being rescued, but that it simply doesn't matter even if she is? Jizi lowered her head in thought. Ever since he discussed philosophy with Gilgamesh a few times, that guy has gotten stranger and stranger—has he started to comprehend pleasure already?
Rather than planning something, his current actions seem more like he's waiting for something—he's waiting for Kiritsugu Emiya's response! The more Jizi thought about it, the more sense it made. "Taking Airi away" is equivalent to applying a stimulus, and then using Kiritsugu's "response" to gain more information and understand what kind of person he truly is.
That explains it. Sure enough, pleasure has already started taking root and sprouting. I need to be careful too... Hm? Following that line of thought, she seemed to discover something incredible. He adopts a laissez-faire attitude toward many of my actions too. Is he also analyzing "me" by observing my behavior?
Jizi had always followed a policy of reporting past her own master directly to Tokiomi, so she had not interacted much with this master of hers. Based on the plot she remembered, this guy was incredibly dangerous. The farther away she could stay, the better—but somehow, that had drawn his curiosity instead. She would have been better off not taking Tokiomi's route in the first place. (Jizi: I said it was Rin's route, Rin's!) She could have just peacefully followed Mapo instead.
There was no undoing things now. Next—
"Wind and rain send spring away, flying snow welcomes spring's return... A child resolves to leave her hometown, casting aside her native land. Dawn breaks east of Huichang City; do not say the traveler leaves too early..." (1)
The phone ringtone interrupted Jizi's thoughts. Although there was no caller ID, only one person in this world knew her number, so as soon as she answered, Jizi spoke directly.
"Hello, young lady. What is it?"
"...Really..."
"Huh?"
"...You really can hear me!"
"Isn't that obvious?! It's not like you've never used a phone before."
"But... it's my first time using a mobile phone." (2)
"...Honestly, you..." For some reason, her irritated mood eased. Jizi smiled. "Really, just tell me what you need."
"...Come..." A mumble so faint that even a Servant's hearing could not make it out came through the receiver.
"Hm? Speak louder."
"...Come, come pick me up at the train station!"
Jizi froze for a long while before sorting out the information contained in Rin's words. During that silence, Rin on the other end began to wonder whether this electronic device she was using for the first time had malfunctioned. Then an impatient roar burst from the receiver.
"How dare you come to Fuyuki?!"
-----------------------Notes------------------
(1) AV275798. The production is quite polished; please interpret it yourselves.
(2) In the nineties, mobile phones were not very widespread, but as the local rich girl, it should not have been a problem for Rin to get one, right?
PS1. This chapter was really just a transition.
Before you continue