"You came."
Carl's voice was as clear as ever.
Since it was a hotel, every room was laid out more or less the same. In a space extremely similar to Tsukahara Meiji's room, Carl sat stiffly by the table. An energy drink had been opened in front of him, one of the beverages the hotel placed in the rooms for guests to take as they pleased.
Ah, incidentally, guests could take them as they pleased. No one had said they were free.
Hearing the certainty in his unhurried voice, Archer's brows drew together slightly.
The feeling of being controlled by someone else was definitely not pleasant.
"You knew I would come?"
Though Archer's tone carried some questioning, there was more instinctive disgust in it.
It was the so-called mutual repulsion of similar kinds. Two people who were extremely alike would instead become enemies, because they understood each other too well, and that was too terrifying. It was like how dolls were lovable, while realistic mannequins were always favorites in horror films.
Archer knew that Carl was a Magus who pursued efficiency to an almost mechanical degree: calm, cruel, and willing to use any means necessary.
At the same time, Carl understood that Archer was not a Heroic Spirit with much sense of honor. Like him, she possessed a personality that would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, along with a practical way of thinking.
If Carl had summoned her, the two of them would have been a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, they were enemies. Already too alike, they were now wary of each other precisely because they were so compatible.
Carl believed that if she had the chance, Archer would definitely point her gun at his temple. Archer likewise believed that once her usefulness had run out, he